The international community tries to decide how to help the people of Afghanistan without providing money directly to the Taliban
The Group of 20 (G20) members discussed the urgent need to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people amid concerns the situation in Afghanistan will become catastrophic over the winter, and the European Union (EU) pledged 1 billion euros ($1.15 billion) in support. The United Nations has warned Afghanistan’s economy is on the brink of collapse, as international aid has been largely frozen following the Taliban’s takeover.
“We all have nothing to gain if the entire monetary or financial system in Afghanistan is collapsing, because then humanitarian aid can no longer be provided either,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin after the summit. The White House said the U.S. “remains committed to working closely with the international community and using diplomatic, humanitarian, and economic means to address the situation in Afghanistan and support the Afghan people.”
What happens now? The EU has been careful to avoid being seen to legitimize the “interim” Taliban government “but the Afghan people should not pay the price of the Taliban’s actions,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.(NEWSWEEK)
