Guterres: If we don’t help Afghans, world will pay heavy price

“Six months after the takeover by the Taliban, Afghanistan is hanging by a thread. For Afghans, daily life has become a frozen hell,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a meeting of the UN Security Council, Report informs.

He said the situation in Afghanistan had deteriorated since the Taliban took over and that the Afghan people needed more support.

“When it comes to complex humanitarian emergencies, Afghanistan is as bad as it gets. That is why we launched an appeal two weeks ago - the largest in the UN’s history for a single country, more than $4.4 billion for this year,” Guterres said.

“Over half of all Afghans face extreme levels of hunger. The country is facing its worst drought in two decades, pushing nine million people closer to famine. More than 80 percent of the population relies on contaminated drinking water. And some families are selling their babies to purchase food. If we do not act and help Afghans weather this storm, the region and the world will pay a heavy price,” he added.