Tens of thousands of Afghans flee violence in their country
August 12, 2021, 6:33 am

Tens of thousands of Afghans flee violence in their country

Afghanistan war

According to the Xinhua news agency, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that conflict in different parts of Afghanistan in the last week has driven tens of thousands of people away from their homes. Afghans

The office said they are part of the nearly 390,000 people displaced by hostilities this year, with a massive spike since May. Many of the displaced fled to Kabul and other large cities.

Most of the displaced in the capital city are staying with families and friends, with a growing number camping in the open, facing increased vulnerability, it said. More than 5,800 internally displaced persons arriving in Kabul between July 1 and Aug. 5 needed food, household items, water and sanitation support and other assistance.

Ten humanitarian teams on Wednesday assessed the needs of people staying outside in parks and other open spaces and identified an additional 4,522 displaced persons lacking shelter, food, sanitation and drinking water, OCHA said. A temporary health clinic and mobile health teams provided health services.

"Despite a worsening security situation, humanitarian agencies are staying and delivering to people in need, reaching 7.8 million people in the first six months of this year," OCHA said. "Some 156 non-governmental organizations and UN agencies have delivered assistance throughout Afghanistan."

While the humanitarians said they intend to stay despite increasing hostilities to deliver relief, it depends on staff safety, bureaucratic hurdles and raising additional funds.

The 1.3 billion U.S. dollars Humanitarian Response Fund for Afghanistan is just 38 percent funded, leaving an almost 800 million dollar shortfall.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.