Aid Donors Turning Away From Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan, Says Report

A new report by Crisis Group warns against international donors cutting aid to Afghanistan.

According to the report’s authors, international aid from key international government donors has been turned back following the Taliban’s clampdown on the country.

This comes in the wake of the Taliban’s curbs on women’s education and ability to work at NGOs in the country.

Graeme Smith, Crisis Group’s Senior Consultant on Afghanistan, said in a statement accompanying the report; “Donors are turning away from Afghanistan, disgusted by the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s basic freedoms.

“However, cutting aid to send a message about women’s rights will only make the situation worse for all Afghans.

He added; “The most principled response to the Taliban’s misogyny would be finding ways to mitigate the harms inflicted on women and other vulnerable groups.”

The report, released on Thursday, focused primarily on two Taliban edicts announced in December – the first suspending female education at private and public universities, and the second banning Afghan women from working at local and international NGOs.

The moves led to protests and global condemnation.

The United Nations, which has already had to roll back some aid operations in the wake of the ban on NGO workers, has warned that 28 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, accounting for two-thirds of the country’s population.