Taliban announce 'ban' on Red Cross, WHO in Afghanistan

Published April 12, 2019
the Taliban say they have “decided to ban the operation of these two organisations across the country until further notice,” noting they would not guarantee health workers' safety. ─ AFP/File
the Taliban say they have “decided to ban the operation of these two organisations across the country until further notice,” noting they would not guarantee health workers' safety. ─ AFP/File

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday it had suspended work in Afghanistan after the Taliban announced a “ban” against the humanitarian group and the World Health Organization.

According to a Taliban statement, the ICRC had not “acted upon its agreements” with the Taliban.

The insurgents, who control or influence about half of Afghanistan, also accused the WHO of “suspicious movements” during a vaccination campaign.

As a result, the Taliban have “decided to ban the operation of these two organisations across the country until further notice,” the militants said, noting they would not guarantee health workers' safety.

ICRC spokesman Robin Waudo said the organisation had put its activities on hold in war-torn Afghanistan, where many in rural areas have scant access to health care and where polio rates are rising.

“We acknowledge this announcement and have suspended our activities in the country due to the withdrawal of security guarantees,” Waudo told AFP.

“Therefore, we are now in the process of contacting the (Taliban) to initiate a bilateral and confidential dialogue in view of the statement.” Jin Ni, a WHO spokeswoman in Afghanistan told AFP that officials “acknowledge the reports and are working on better understanding the situation.”

The Taliban last August cancelled a “security agreement” with the ICRC, which suspended activities as a result.

According to the Taliban, the ICRC resumed its activities in October following talks.

The number of polio cases worldwide has fallen by more than 99 percent since 1988, but the WHO still considers Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan to be polio-endemic.

Opinion

Editorial

Moving forward
Updated 29 Sep, 2023

Moving forward

It is hoped that the ECP followed the set rules diligently while demarcating constituency boundaries.
Pipeline in stasis
Updated 30 Sep, 2023

Pipeline in stasis

If finding dollars to fund the scheme is difficult, alternative currencies can be used.
Playing in India
Updated 29 Sep, 2023

Playing in India

WITH visa issues resolved, and after slight alterations in travel plans, Pakistan’s cricket team finally touched...
Accruing more debt
Updated 28 Sep, 2023

Accruing more debt

We are in midst of the worst, longest economic crisis because of lavish lifestyles of powerful interests.
Israeli normalisation
28 Sep, 2023

Israeli normalisation

OVER the past few weeks, there have been many reports prophesising the impending normalisation of ties between Saudi...
Kandhkot tragedy
28 Sep, 2023

Kandhkot tragedy

THE tragic incident that unfolded yesterday in Sindh’s Kandhkot tehsil, leading to the deaths of at least nine...