German Foreign Minister Warns of Impending 'Triple Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan'

The Taliban* earlier unveiled a temporary cabinet of acting ministers, who will be tasked with managing and rebuilding Afghanistan following decades of endless conflict. Yet, foreign countries are reluctant to recognise this government despite the group controlling the entire country.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has predicted that Afghanistan may face a "triple humanitarian crisis" in the near future. According to him, many regions in the country are experiencing food shortages because of a drought. In addition, the minister stressed that due to the Taliban seizing power in the country most foreign countries have stopped providing the international aid many Afghans have come to rely on.

These two factors might coincide with a third, making the situation in Afghanistan even worse the German minister alleged.

"If a new government is unable to keep the state affairs going, there is a threat that after a political collapse an economic one will follow. This combination will bring even more drastic humanitarian consequences".

Heiko Maas

German Foreign Minister

The foreign minister added that such prospects are a cause for concern among Afghanistan's neighbours, where he recently paid a visit.

At the same time, Maas said that Berlin was ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan via the United Nations. He noted that Germany is additionally prepared to communicate with the Taliban at least on the matter of supporting those the European state is supposedly "responsible" for.

"The people of Afghanistan are not to blame for the seizure of power by the Taliban - and they do not deserve the international community to turn away now".

Heiko Maas

German Foreign Minister

Maas noted that Germany had been in contact with the US to aid in the evacuation from Afghanistan, which concluded on 30 August. The minister said the two countries will continue to work together regarding Afghanistan, but now they will be discussing how to handle the new Taliban authorities there.

At the moment, no foreign state has recognised the Taliban and its newly established interim government appointed by members of the group. The US, Turkey, and Russia have said they are not planning to recognise the government, with each suggesting that the international community should look at and evaluate the Taliban's conduct first. Many western states also suggested that the Taliban should respect human rights, especially the rights of women, for its government to be recognised. The group promised to form an inclusive government, but per the country's UN ambassador, appointed under the previous authorities, the temporary cabinet is anything "but inclusive".

*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other countries