With Floods Following Earthquakes and Drought in Afghanistan, US Must Repay Billions Immediately | countercurrents

Severely destructive floods devastated parts of Afghanistan in August. This was preceded by a prolonged drought, said to be the worst in decades, and two earthquakes this year. With the vast majority of people, including children, facing serious starvation and multi-pronged deprivation, the USA and others should immediately release the $9 billion or so in reserves of the Central Bank of Afghanistan and possibly put the money into a trust fund for humanitarian aid.

In December 2021, there were reports of a very serious drought in Afghanistan that was prolonged, leaving only women and children in several villages as men went in search of increasingly uncertain work. In January 2022 an earthquake occurred. In April, there were reports from leading humanitarian organizations of worsening drought and up to 12 million children and adolescents facing starvation, nearly 5 million on the verge of starvation (in a country with a total population of about 40 million).

In June, another earthquake occurred that caused more damage, particularly in the Paktika region. Some villages were destroyed. Approximately 1,100 people are reported to have died. Disaster experts noted that the damage was disproportionately higher compared to the intensity of the earthquake, as in conditions of general deprivation, the construction and repair of homes must have been poor, or the use of explosives in wartime may have already weakened or partially damaged.

Then came severe floods in August, which are said to have already claimed around 200 lives, with many more affected. Thousands of cattle died. The video images provided some indication of the extent of the devastation caused by the floods, and the damage may eventually be found to be higher than current estimates when more information becomes available.

Under these conditions of multiple crises and disasters, it is not a criminal behavior on the part of the United States and other western countries not to release the reserves of the Central Bank of Afghanistan yet so that they can be used to provide urgent relief to the people who are suffering severely.

These reserves are estimated at $9 to $10 billion or so, according to various estimates. Nearly $7 billion of those are with the United States.

In a controversial decision at one point, the US government transferred $3.5 billion to provide assistance to the victims of the 9/11 attack or their family members. This was widely criticized as unfair to the long-suffering people of Afghanistan. Even many of the victims of September 11 questioned the fairness of this decision. These victims should get all the help but that should be provided by the US government using its own money and not by diversifying the money for some of the poorest people in the world.

There have been some reports recently that some talks have started recently between the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan and the authorities of the United States of America to release this money, possibly by transferring it to a trust fund that will ensure that this money will be used only for humanitarian purposes and will not be used for any unwanted purposes.

Whatever the truth of these reports, what can be clearly seen is that there is no indication yet that this money has reached the Afghan people. At the same time, due to a number of factors, humanitarian aid reaching Afghanistan is now much less than before.

Of course it cannot be denied that there are several serious concerns about the Taliban authorities, especially some of their sections, in the context of serious injustice towards women and some minorities, which leads to high levels of insecurity for them, as well as lost opportunities by them. However, this cannot be a reason to refuse receivables worth billions of dollars, although the chances of ensuring their use for humanitarian purposes can be increased by following some caveats. For example, access to these funds as well as increased humanitarian assistance can be linked to some form of plans to improve the situation of women and minorities. Perhaps some important people and agencies that both sides trust can help with this.

However, getting the funds cannot be delayed for too long given the extremely dire needs of the people of Afghanistan and the challenge of multiple crises and disasters they face. And the sooner we can return the Central Bank of Afghanistan funds held abroad back to Afghanistan, the better in the interests of justice.

Bharat Dogra is the Honorary Organizer of Save Earth Now campaign. His recent books include Planet in Peril, A Day in 2071 and Protecting Earth for Children.

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