The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Wednesday that it was suspending lending to Afghanistan due to uncertainty over the country's governance following its occupation by the Taliban.
” As always, the IMF is guided by the views of the international community, ” a spokeswoman told AFP. “At the moment there is a lack of clarity in the international community regarding the recognition of the Afghan government, therefore the country will not be able to access the SDRs or other IMF resources, ” the spokeswoman added. of the 190-member Washington International Financial Institution.
The IMF would normally disburse the last tranche of the $ 370 million lending program agreed on November 6, 2020. The second tranche, worth $ 149.4 million, was issued in June. About $ 105.6 million remained under the credit program to support the Afghan economy, which was being tested beyond the war by the new coronavirus pandemic.
Washington's other financial institution, the World Bank , which has been involved in about 20 development projects in Afghanistan and has provided some $ 5.3 billion since 2002, is unclear whether it will continue. It is currently withdrawing its staff in a hurry.
US freezes Afghan foreign exchange reserves
The US government and the US Federal Reserve (Fed for short) have frozen Afghanistan's multibillion-dollar foreign exchange reserves, according to US media reports. The move is aimed at preventing the Taliban, who have seized power in Afghanistan, from gaining access to those resources, according to informed sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Washington Post .
The governor of the Afghan Central Bank, Azmal Ahmadi , who left the country after the Taliban came to power, said on Twitter yesterday that the Fed has deposited about $ 7 billion, most of Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves. About $ 2 billion is invested elsewhere, according to Ahmadi.
” Given that the Taliban are on international sanctions lists, it is expected (…) that the country's resources will be frozen and it will not have access to the Islamist movement,” the central banker added.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the government of President Joe Biden decided to cancel the transfer of large amounts of cash in dollars to Afghanistan last week as the Taliban approached Kabul. Citing informed sources, the newspaper also wrote that the US is blocking the Taliban from accessing Afghan government accounts to the Fed and other US banks and is trying to prevent the movement from gaining access to the $ 500 million it could receive from the country. the International Monetary Fund.
“No US central bank resource in the US will be available to the Taliban,” a Biden government official told the Journal.
The World Health Organization calls for humanitarian aid to continue
The World Health Organization warned yesterday not to cut off access to humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, which is now controlled by the Taliban, stressing that health facilities remain highly vulnerable and under attack. “Sustained access to humanitarian aid, including basic health services and medical supplies, is a matter of survival for millions of Afghans and must not be interrupted, ” the international organization warns.
” Months of violence have dramatically burdened the fragile Afghan health system, which already had the necessary equipment to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic ,” the WHO said, calling on all parties to respect and protect civilians, medical staff, patients and health structures “.
Between January and July, 26 health facilities were attacked and 12 health professionals were killed, making the safety of health facilities a “significant challenge”, according to the WHO. Following the Taliban seizure of power in Afghanistan, many donor countries, including the United States, remain cautious.
As of Monday, Berlin, one of Kabul's 10 largest donors, had announced that it was suspending its development aid, which stood at almost 250m euros this year.
Continuing its fieldwork, the WHO emphasizes that “outbreaks of diarrhea, malnutrition, high blood pressure, cases of coronavirus-like symptoms and reproductive health complications have increased in Kabul and other major cities.”
The WHO also insists on the “immediate” need for “women 's access to women' s healthcare staff” in order to curb the unbridled character espoused by the Taliban, an adherent of an extreme version of Islamic law.
The United Nations is removing some UNAMA employees
At the same time, the United Nations has begun the process of evacuating some of its officials present in Afghanistan, its spokesman said, as hundreds of people try to flee the country after the Taliban seize power. About a hundred UN officials will be transferred to Almaty, Kazakhstan, Stefan Duzarik explained, without specifying whether they were foreigners or Afghans.
“This is a temporary measure that allows the UN to continue to provide assistance to the people of Afghanistan with as few problems as possible and, at the same time, reduces the risks to staff,” he said, adding that the agency remained “committed” to aid to Afghans.
UNAMA, the UN mission in Afghanistan, employs about 300 foreigners and more than 700 Afghans in Kabul, where it is headquartered. Taliban insurgents entered the Afghan capital on Sunday, nearly 20 years after being ousted by a US-led international military coalition following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The rapid rise of the Taliban, who took advantage of the withdrawal of foreign troops, a process that began in May, has caused chaos at Kabul International Airport, where thousands of people have been trying to board planes sent to other countries to evacuate refugees since Monday. their associates.
