A recent report by the United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has revealed that the United States has provided 17.19 billion dollars in assistance to Afghanistan since its withdrawal from the country.
According to the latest SIGAR report released on Friday, May 3rd, this assistance includes humanitarian aid and the costs of transporting and accommodating former US colleagues.
SIGAR has stated that the exact figures of the funds sent from August 2021 to March 2024 amount to 17.19 billion dollars, including over 2.8 billion dollars in humanitarian aid and 3.5 billion dollars in cash transferred to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund.
The report indicates that 2.8 billion dollars dollars of this money has been for humanitarian and developmental assistance in Afghanistan. 5.36 billion dollars has been designated for the evacuation, accommodation, and expenses of former US colleagues, and 5.53 billion dollars has been spent on programs to host Afghans in the United States.
However, some beneficiaries of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan complained about the decrease in aid reaching them, stating that they have faced significant challenges in the past two years, to the extent that they struggle to daily bread.
They claim that the distribution of aid is based on favourite and local connections, with decisions sometimes made by local representatives on which families receive assistance.
According to the SIGAR report, a portion of the funds for humanitarian aid has been allocated for natural disaster relief, including assistance provided to the victims of the devastating earthquakes in Herat province, which resulted in 2445 fatalities and over 2,000 injuries.
However, some of the families affected by the earthquakes in Herat are still living under makeshift tents without shelter and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. They mention enduring harsh winters without adequate facilities or shelter, with some families still lacking both shelter and basic necessities such as bread and clean water.
It is reported that in some remote villages of Herat, families have resorted to giving their young daughters in marriage to be counted as independent families to receive humanitarian assistance, including being listed for aid and reconstruction of homes for earthquake victims.
Meanwhile, SIGAR continues to account for 3.5 billion dollars of the assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan transferred to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund in Switzerland as part of America’s aid to Afghanistan and has stated that the United States is the largest contributor to aid for Afghanistan under Taliban control.
- نویسنده : Afghanistan Women News Agency
- منبع خبر : Afghanistan Women News Agency
