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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Millions of Afghans on verge of death: UN warns

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 13 Jan 2022 23:43
3 Min Read

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns that millions of Afghans are on the brink of death, pleading for action to save the Afghans' lives and economy.

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  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged Thursday the United States and the World Bank to take action and unfreeze the Afghan funds they have been holding since the Taliban came back to power in the country bearing the brunt of the chaotic US withdrawal, nearing economic collapse as the West withholds the country's funds following an occupation that lasted 20 years.

"We must... rapidly inject liquidity into the economy and avoid a meltdown that would lead to poverty, hunger, and destitution for millions," Guterres told reporters in New York.

Washington has frozen billions of dollars of assets, with aid supplies being heavily disrupted and over half the population on the brink of famine.

An estimated 4.7 million people will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2022, 1.1 million children are children, aid agencies say.

Guterres called on Washington to take the lead in helping the country avoid a meltdown "because the major part of the world financial system works in dollars."

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"I hope the remaining resources - more than $1.2 billion" from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) "will become available to help Afghanistan's people survive the winter," Guterres hoped.

The United States has seized some $9.5 billion in Central Bank assets. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have also suspended activities in Afghanistan. The two bodies have withheld aid as well as $340 million in reserves issued by the IMF in August.

Snowfall, rains exacerbated the suffering of Afghanistan’s people

"Freezing temperatures and frozen assets are a lethal combination for the people of Afghanistan," Guterres underlined.

The Taliban requested essential humanitarian relief without "political bias" in early January, stressing that recent snowfall and rains have exacerbated the suffering of Afghanistan’s people.

The United Nations Security Council had unanimously adopted a resolution facilitating humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in December.

According to the resolution, "payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources, and the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of such assistance or to support such activities are permitted." 

The United States withdrew from Afghanistan in mid-August. Shortly after the Taliban took power in the country, the international community completely froze aid to Afghanistan amid warnings that the country would face major crises if the international community did not release the funds to the war-torn country.

  • World Bank
  • United States
  • Afghanistan
  • International Monetary Fund
  • Taliban
  • United Nations
  • Antonio Guterres
  • Kabul

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