The United Nations assistance mission in Afghanistan (Unama)) called The Taliban direct internet and telecommunications services immediately and entirely entirely.
“Yesterday, 1700 hours, we were informed that telecommunications and fiberoptic connectivity in Afghanistan will be suspended until further notice“Said the senior United Nations officials in the country, Indrika Ratwatte, via an unequal satellite video link from Kabul.
“” The rest of the country is completely cut at the moment, overall“, He explained, adding that connectivity has been lost with aid teams in the” deep field “which provides help to the survivors of the earthquake last month in eastern Afghanistan.
“We have no connectivity with them,” he said, highlighting the needs among families from the villages on the hillside that now live in informal overcrowded colonies on the bottom of the valley in the province of Kunar.
In a community, Mr. Ratwatte met a woman who had lost 11 members of his family. “The trauma is quite immense,” he said.
It is believed that more than 43 million people in Afghanistan are offline, after the Taliban began to cut the communication cables several weeks ago, which would have addressed “vice” and immorality in the light of their strict interpretation of Sharia law.
The work of UN humanitarian workers has also been fell by the de facto authorities’ Prohibit staff from the staff To enter its premises earlier this month.
Total judgment
In addition to having an impact on UN work and partner organizations, the Internet closure has affected health programs, banking services and financial services, said Ratwatte, UN coordinator.
“At community level, I imagine that For normal commercial transactions, for the bank, for cash transfers, for funding from funds from abroad, which are essential for these communities, which have been cut“He said.
A month since the magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the eastern regions of Afghanistan, the distant communities are still struggling to recover. The disaster killed around 2,000 people and injured 3,600, damaging 8,500 houses.
“Winter is no longer on the way, it is on us,” warned Mr. Ratwatte, stressing the need to isolate shelters for displaced people and provide warm clothes in the middle of falling temperatures.
Derogation discussions
Discussions are underway with the de facto authorities of Kabul to request a derogation to provide “critical connectivity” with the aid teams, but the situation has complicated an already “disastrous” situation in Afghanistan.
“This is another crisis in addition to the existing crisis … The impact will be on the lives of people”, Mr. Ratwatte underlined.
He stressed how development would also have an impact on critical medical services, supply chains and vaccinations. “The assistance that maintains the basic essential services operating in the country will be affected,” continued the United Nations aid coordinator, noting that connectivity with the rest of the world had also been affected.
“Flights have been canceled, international flights do not arrive today,” he said.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
