The Red Cross fundraiser for emergency aid to Afghanistan is underway, and the funding will go primarily to caring for the injured, fighting the spread of COVID-19 in Afghanistan, and ensuring food security. So says Atli Viðar Thorstensen, director of the Red Cross humanitarian aid department, who was interviewed this morning on the Morgunútvarpið broadcast for Rás 2.
“We know that the Taliban promised the Red Cross peace and permission to continue operating in the country. We are in close contact with all parties to the conflict, including the Taliban “ Atli said.
The Red Cross assessed the humanitarian needs of the country. It is urgent, also outside the capital, and it is obvious that we need to react immediately. “There is a tremendous need for healthcare, and COVID-19 is also in Afghanistan, where 0.5 percent of the population was fully vaccinated and 2 percent received the first dose.” Moreover, the country is experiencing severe droughts that affect food security. Inhabitants are threatened with shortages. Says Atli.
It’s hard to say how many refugees will be fleeing the country in the coming weeks and months. In recent months, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees have been repatriated to neighboring countries, making them refugees at home.
The refugee committee hopes to present to the government a proposal to welcome refugees from Afghanistan by the end of the week.
The committee met yesterday, but Stefán Vagn Stefánsson, the chairman, says he is currently waiting for more detailed information, both on the situation in Afghanistan and the possibility of accommodating refugees in Iceland, and the committee will meet again on Thursday or Friday. He will then make a proposal on how many refugees the Government of Iceland should accommodate.
Source: Yle