Flood Victims in Ghor Complain About Unfair Distribution of Humanitarian Aid Under the Taliban

Photo: EU/ECHO Pierre Prakash via Flickr

Residents of Ghor province, who lost their homes and livelihoods due to heavy rainfall and flooding in the first months of the current solar year, are on one hand concerned about the lack of shelter and heating facilities for the winter season, and on the other hand, they complain about the unfair distribution of humanitarian aid under the Taliban's supervision.

Fariba, a 43-year-old mother of eight, spends the cold winter nights—when the temperature in this province occasionally drops to minus twenty degrees Celsius—in an old tent without any heating facilities.

In an interview with Zan News, she says: "Look at what kind of life we are living, full of misery and hardship. Rain and snow pour through the top of the tent, and the bottom is damp and muddy. We live in these conditions, yet when aid arrives, it doesn’t reach the poor and strangers. The Mullahs [Taliban] give it to their relatives and friends. May God provide for us."

Gul Bibi, another flood victim from the Balamarghab district of this province, who is responsible for five children, complains about the unfair distribution of humanitarian aid under the Taliban's supervision. She says that despite being deprived of her rights by the Taliban, she cannot raise her voice to complain because she is a woman.

"Because I am a woman, and a widow at that, they take away my rights. A while ago, the Taliban came and inspected everyone's houses. They gave houses to some people they knew, but we are still left out in the cold. I can't even complain because I am a widow woman."

On the other hand, a number of women's rights activists in Afghanistan have expressed concern over the cold winter weather and the lack of access to humanitarian aid for flood victims, especially women.

Sohaila Mobasher, a women's rights activist, says: "It is true that flood victims are facing a shortage of resources, but women who are the breadwinners of their families must be prioritized because the cold weather and lack of food have put this group at risk of death."

This comes as some aid organizations have halted their operations in Afghanistan due to the Taliban's interference in their work and the distribution of humanitarian aid.

It is worth noting that the Norwegian Refugee Council recently announced the suspension of its humanitarian activities in 20 countries, including Afghanistan.