US to provide $ 308 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan Humanitarian Crisis News

The Biden administration will channel more funding to humanitarian groups as millions of Afghans suffer from extreme hunger.

The United States will provide an additional $ 308 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, with the White House announcing that since October, total U.S. aid for Afghan and Afghan refugees has reached nearly $ 782 million.

Aid will be channeled through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to humanitarian organizations providing shelter, health and emergency food aid, including White House spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement Tuesday.

In addition, the United States will provide more doses of coronavirus vaccine through the World Health Organization’s COVAX vaccine cooperative, bringing its total contribution to Afghanistan to 4.3 million doses.

The move came as the United Nations humanitarian body said on Tuesday it needs nearly $ 5 billion in aid 2022 for Afghanistan. This is $ 4.4 billion to help Afghanistan and $ 623 million to help millions of Afghans who are protected outside the country’s borders.

More than half of the population (about 22 million people) suffers from severe hunger, according to the UN, and another 5.7 million displaced Afghans in five other countries have needed vital assistance this year.

“It simply came to our notice then. My message is urgent: do not close the doors to the people of Afghanistan, ”said Martin Griffiths, the UN Humanitarian and Emergency Response Coordinator.

The economic crisis accelerated in Afghanistan The Taliban seized power in August, when the former Western government fell and U.S. troops withdrew. International funding for Afghanistan has been disrupted and the country has billions of dollars financial assets abroad, mostly in the US, they were frozen.

In a statement to the White House on Tuesday, Horne said the United States “is committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan and continues to consider all the options available to us.” He added: “We are with the people of Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, USAID has called on the Taliban to allow “all aid workers, especially women … to act independently and safely” in order to help those affected by humanitarian groups.

“The United States continues to demand unhindered humanitarian access to the Taliban, secure humanitarian conditions, independent assistance to vulnerable people, and permission of freedom of movement for aid workers of all genders,” the agency said in a statement.

The decision by the United States and the international community not to recognize the Taliban government has called into question how to provide enough support to Western powers without giving legitimacy to the group or putting money directly into its hands.

The Taliban have called on the international community to release money and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

State employees, doctors, teachers and administrative officials have not been charged for months, while banks have limited the amount of money that account holders can withdraw.

Last month, the U.S. was conducting business with the Taliban, and Americans and UN officials were formally exempted from trying to try U.S. sanctions. helps maintain the feed Afghanistan.