Monitoring Desk
KABUL: Two more foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Monday suspended their operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban rulers banned Afghan women from working with all NGOs.
Christian Aid and ActionAid became the latest foreign aid groups which took the number of foreign aid groups to six who have paused their operations in Afghanistan.
Christian Aid organization was “rapidly seeking clarity… and urging the Afghan authorities to reverse the ban”, head of global programs Ray Hasan said in a statement.
“While we do this, we are unfortunately suspending the work of our programs,” Hasan added.
NGOs operations in Afghanistan
ActionAid said in a statement that if women were banned from working with the group, it would “prevent us from reaching out to half of the population already suffering from hunger.”
“ActionAid has taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend most of its programs in the country until a clearer picture emerges,” the aid group said in a statement.
On Sunday, CARE, Save the Children, and the Norwegian Refugee Council all announced they were suspending their operations in Afghanistan.
The International Rescue Committee, which initiates an emergency response in education, health, and other areas and employs around 3,000 women across Afghanistan, also announced the suspension of its services.
“Millions of Afghan people are on the verge of starvation,” the head of global programs of Christian Aid, Ray Hasan, said on Monday.
The ban is the latest blow against the rights of women in Afghanistan since the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021.
Less than a week ago, the hardliner Islamists also barred women from attending universities, prompting global outrage and protests in some Afghan cities.
