The Taliban’s seizure of power on August 15, 2021 marked a setback in Afghanistan’s development, especially at the socio – economic level. Nine out of 10 Afghans now live below the poverty line.
Six months after the militants returned to Kabul, the predictions of many analysts and most Afghans were confirmed: the Taliban have not changed.
They are not modernized, they do not moderate attitudes and behaviors. They are radical Islamists and they persecute those who challenge them.
The world has recognized the danger and has not recognized the government of Kabul, and is skeptical of the way they pay for humanitarian aid. So the pipes were closed.
Afghanistan’s economy is on the brink of collapse: blackouts occur frequently, food insecurity rises several steps and the UN warns that one million children are at risk of starvation. 90% of Afghan citizens live below the poverty line at € 1.60 a day.
There are Afghans who sell their organs for a living. Witness the scars on the kidneys imposed on the black market for transplant surgery. Children, especially women, also trade.
Afghanistan’s central bank funding has been frozen since the Taliban took control following the withdrawal of US troops.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing the confiscation of $ 7 billion worth of US central bank deposits in the United States.
The White House wants half of the money set aside for compensation claims from 9/11 victims’ family members. The other half, Joe Biden says, must be changed for the benefit of the Afghans without falling into the hands of the Taliban.