Aid Agencies Warn Insecurity on the Rise in Afghanistan | Voice of America - English
International aid agencies are expressing concern about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, noting that problems have spread to previously stable areas and attacks on aid agencies and their staff are on the increase. Tendai Maphosa has more in this report for VOA from London.
Aid agencies say rising insecurityin Afghanistan is hampering efforts to provide relief. The AgencyCoordinating Body for Afghan Relief or ACBAR, represents about 100non-governmental aid organizations. In a just released statement, thegroup also says that the number of civilians killed in the Afghanconflict is on the rise - up by approximately 50 percent over thesame period last year. Speaking with VOA from her office inKabul, ACBAR spokesperson Anja de Beer says that while most of thedeaths are attributed to insurgents, the international and Afghanforces are also responsible. Some of the deaths she says occur inaerial bombings but there are also cases where she alleges they are theresult of excessive force. "There are unfortunately instancesthat a search is conducted by coalition forces and the Afghan forces,sometimes there are extra-judicial executions, that luckily seems to bethe exception," said de Beer. De Beer added that the insurgentsare gaining a foothold in areas where they were not so strong before.This, she says, has forced the closure of a large number of schools andhealth facilities in the south; is hindering the implementation ofvital development projects; and has caused significant levels ofinternal displacement. The ACBAR statement says that aidagencies are also increasingly being targeted by both insurgents andcriminal elements. This, it says has forced many relief agencies torestrict their development and humanitarian activities. Reliefofficials worry that with a drought in some parts of the country andincreased food prices, over four million Afghans are facing extremelydifficult circumstances. They say that young children, and pregnant andbreastfeeding women are at especially high risk. ACBAR's Anja de beer says her organization believes the Afghan conflict cannot be solved on the battlefield. "Whatis needed for sustainable peace is support for development and deliveryof essential services to the population, government reforms and peacebuilding initiatives," she said. De Beer also said perceivedcorruption by the Afghan authorities turns members of the publicagainst the government. Also, she added, the agricultural sector needsmore support and that aid should be delivered in a more efficient andeffective manner.