A 65-year-old man hanged himself in the village of Bai-yi Moghuli in Khwaja Sabz Posh district of Faryab province on January 11, sheds light on the deepening economic crisis in Afghanistan, Daryo’s correspondent in Afghanistan reported. Sources reveal that the man, a resident of Rustaq District, Takhar Province, had come to visit his daughter in Khwaja Sabz Posh and tragically took his own life in her home.
The shocking suicide has brought attention to the pervasive poverty plaguing the country, pushing its residents to the brink of despair. Afghanistan, still grappling with the aftermath of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) takeover two years ago, has seen international donors suspend non-humanitarian funding, contributing to an economic collapse.
As per the International Rescue Committee, a staggering 28.8 mn people in Afghanistan are currently in urgent need of support, representing a nearly 60% increase from 2022. The situation is dire, with decades of conflicts, climate change, and a lack of infrastructure leaving millions displaced. Droughts and natural disasters compound the challenges, driving up food prices and severely limiting income opportunities.
"Increasing hunger, natural disasters, unemployment, a banking and liquidity crisis, rights-violating restrictions on women and girls, and the lack of a functioning economy mean Afghans are facing a multitude of simultaneous crises," Samira Sayed Rahman, the IRC Afghanistan director of advocacy, stated.
Poverty is affecting more than 90% of the country's population, with over half reliant on humanitarian aid. An alarming 91% of the average Afghan household's income is spent on food, forcing families to resort to rationing and other coping strategies. The lack of international aid, as well as the Taliban's reluctance to meet conditions for releasing foreign reserves, leaves major gaps in state finances, crippling Afghanistan's central bank.
Food insecurity remains a critical issue, with 40% of the population facing acute food insecurity—the fourth-highest figure globally. Families are forced into impossible choices to feed themselves, and children are at an increased risk of starvation, malnutrition, preventable diseases, and hunger.
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