Sanctions imposed on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) have undermined the supply of vital humanitarian aid to the country, Martin Schuepp, director of operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said.
“For the moment we are continuing to operate. I think one of the important challenges is indeed the sanctions that have been imposed. For example, the banking sector, and that makes our operations more difficult for us,” Schuepp told Xinhua.
Following the withdrawal of the US-led forces, Afghanistan’s assets worth more than $9 billion were frozen by the United States as part of its sanctions on the new rulers of the country.
“It is key that all sanctions have humanitarian exemptions, which allows humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC to operate and to be able to reach people in need,” Schuepp said.
The ICRC official made the remarks amid increasing poverty and high rate of unemployment in Afghanistan.
Schuepp also said that poverty had led to an increase in the cases of pneumonia and malnutrition among children.
“So, overall, we continue to operate throughout the country. We continue to implement our activities, and actually to increase our activities in the country,” the official said.
“Also, one of our main programs is supporting hospitals … around the country to make sure that all Afghans in need receive care.”—Ariana news
