Afghan Canadians, Aid Advocates Urge Canada to Support Earthquake Relief Efforts

Afghan children line up to get bread at a camp after the earthquake in Jayan district of Paktika province, Afghanistan, June 26 Ibrahim Norouzi/Associated Press

Canada has yet to contribute to disaster relief efforts in Afghanistan one week after the country suffered its deadliest earthquake in two decades, although aid advocates say Ottawa’s designation of the Taliban as a terrorist group may inadvertently complicate the facilitation of funds.

The 5.9-magnitude earthquake last week killed an estimated 770 people, injured 1,500 and affected another 250,000 Afghans in a remote area of ​​the southeast near the Pakistan border. The disaster exacerbates an already difficult humanitarian crisis, including famine and a collapsing health system, that has devastated Afghanistan since the Taliban took power last August.

The Taliban called on international governments to unfreeze the central bank’s assets and undo sanctions in the wake of the earthquake, but many Western countries continue to avoid the movement due to concerns about human rights abuses.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has issued an emergency appeal for $110 million for earthquake relief efforts in Afghanistan and has so far raised $45 million, including funds from the United States, Britain and South Korea. The United Arab Emirates, China, India, Qatar and Saudi Arabia also announced in-kind contributions. Canada is facing calls to contribute as well.

Taliban, US officials meet for talks amid ongoing relief efforts in Afghanistan

We appeal to the international community, including Canada, to provide urgent support to meet the urgent humanitarian needs resulting from the earthquake. “This is just a recent disaster that further exacerbates the dire situation many Afghans are already facing,” said Rima Jamous Emsis, UNHCR Representative in Canada.

Global Affairs Canada said that while Ottawa is coordinating with like-minded countries on an international response, it has not directly contributed to earthquake relief efforts.

“At this time, in addition to humanitarian funding already provided, Canada has not directly contributed to the response to the earthquake. We continue to consider options on how best to support the Afghan people,” spokeswoman Christelle Chartrand said in a statement on Tuesday.

Afghanistan’s ambassador to Canada, Hassan Soroush, has remained in Ottawa since the Taliban took over last year but has no lines of communication with Kabul. He said it was understood Canada did not immediately respond to the earthquake, given the “restrictions” imposed by Taliban rule.

The Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act, an amendment to the Criminal Code, makes it illegal for Canadian money to end up in the hands of terrorists. The Taliban is on the Canadian Terror Watch List and has been banned by Ottawa, even though they now run Afghanistan.

Since last August, Canada has contributed $156 million in humanitarian aid to support vulnerable populations in Afghanistan and neighboring countries; This money supports a range of trustworthy organizations, such as the United Nations, to ensure that funding does not end up in the hands of the Taliban.

Children Without Borders, an Afghan-Canadian organization that addresses child labor in Afghanistan, said Canada could sidestep the concerns posed by anti-terror law by contributing to the UN appeal.

“I understand that the government will not want to help the Taliban and associate itself with it…but there are a lot of other organizations that can help,” said Naqib Sarwari, Children Without Borders board director. “Canada must step up.”

Adina Niazi, founder and executive director of the Toronto-based Afghan Women’s Organization, said innocent Afghans affected by the disaster should not be “punished” because of Taliban rule. She said Canada needs to find a way to get around the anti-terror law so that it can provide much-needed support for the earthquake response, such as equipment to recover victims.

I am amazed and also sad because I know that people are still trapped under the rubble. No equipment, no helicopters. Some of them dig with their hands to get it [the victims] She said “.

A recent House of Commons report on Afghanistan recommended the government exempt Canadian aid organizations from the Anti-Terrorism Act so that they can get humanitarian aid into the country without fear of prosecution. The United States took a similar step last year, allowing the government and its contractors to facilitate humanitarian aid in Afghanistan despite sanctions against the Taliban. NDP international development critic Heather McPherson urged liberals to do the same.

“Faced with a humanitarian catastrophe caused by a massive earthquake, and growing food insecurity, the federal government is not taking simple steps that can remove roadblocks for Canadian aid to reach the Afghan people who desperately need our help,” she said.

Garnett Genois, a conservative international development critic, said that while aware of the legal challenges facing Canada, “the government has been very complacent and has failed to take action to facilitate humanitarian organizations to provide vital support to the Afghan people.”

The liberal government has also faced heavy criticism in recent months for its slow approach to its commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees; About 16,000 have arrived in Canada since last August.

Children Without Borders sent a few members of its Kabul-based team to the earthquake-affected mountainous region. Mr. Sarwari said people are living in the open where their traditional mud houses have been destroyed and are in dire need of basic items such as blankets, tents, food and hygiene kits.

With reports from Reuters

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