Another sunrise overlooks the barren, dusty chain of mountains that surround Kabul and my mind is already in a state of agitation. The events of the past few days, since the Taliban took control of the capital, continue to come back to mind – the gunshots, the anguish of our Afghan colleagues. These are days of fear, unpredictable.
We knew things would change with the withdrawal of foreign troops, but the speed with which it happened took us all by surprise. We have been working in areas under Taliban influence for many years and the Taliban have assured us that the World Food Program will be able to continue its work. The uncertainties, however, are still many.
What worries me most is the thought of the millions of people across Afghanistan who rely on our assistance. A conflict that has lasted for decades, severe droughts one after the other caused by climate change and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic have brought this beautiful and tormented country to the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. We are approaching another harsh Afghan winter and already one in three people do not have enough food to put on the table. Two million children are undernourished. Uncertainty casts a long shadow over our ability to continue our life-saving work.
And then there are our Afghan colleagues. A team of 450 men and women – leaders in their communities, who work with WFP in the service of their countrymen. I have great admiration for them. Even in this difficult situation, our national staff continues to come to work and, safely, ensure the continuation of food deliveries to those who need it most.
For the sake of all Afghans, girls and boys, women and men, we now hope for a peaceful transition. This country has been suffering for too long. The World Food Program and other humanitarian agencies must continue their vital work, reaching those most in need, families displaced by the conflict, farmers who have lost their crops, people whose jobs have vanished due to the economic consequences of the Covid pandemic. 19.
These people are why we have been in Afghanistan for 60 years, making sure they have enough food for the present and a better future to aspire to. We intend to continue to stand by our Afghan friends. We do not take sides, we leave political, economic or military considerations to others, our job is to provide support to those who need it, wherever they are. In the first half of 2021, we delivered food and nutritional assistance to 5.5 million Afghans, including those recently displaced by the fighting. Earlier this month, when large numbers of other provinces were arriving in Kabul, we began assisting them in various parts of the city with our mobile teams.
The past few days have been marked by concern, but I know that our humanitarian work must continue. And I hope the international community will strengthen its support for the humanitarian response. WFP urgently needs $ 200 million, our food supplies will run out in October, just when there won’t be any food left over from last harvest, and when winter knocks on the doors.
Dervla Murphy, an Irish writer, once wrote of Herat (but I think it is emblematic for the whole country): “Afghanistan is as old as history and as moving as a great epic poem.” The Afghan population lives in a continuity that precedes the war, and they will also go through this period. But, to do this, they need to have us by their side. Perhaps, now more than ever.
* (WFP Director in Afghanistan – Article was published in Irish Times)