With the fall of the Afghan government, poverty and unemployment in the country has increased dramatically. Many people have migrated from Afghanistan to escape the impending famine, resorting to hard labor in neighboring countries. With the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, unemployment has become an immediate problem.
There were foreign projects and funds for those who wanted to work in Afghanistan before the country fell to the Taliban. This had provided employment opportunities. Now, however, foreign institutions have stopped funding development projects. Many Afghans and military personnel, specifically women are unemployed. Worried Afghans, on the other hand, are calling on the Taliban to create jobs.
The Taliban have not yet announced their plans to fight the unemployment and poverty crisis. The Taliban have apparently blamed former government leaders for the problems, saying the country is in trouble because former officials had plundered public assets.
Some believe that business was booming during the previous government and people could a living. Now, however, business has stagnated.
Rahim Soltani is a resident of Kabul. He says that with the fall of the previous government, the people have no income source. According to him, a large number of citizens have lost their jobs. He adds that over the past month, markets have closed and people’s lives have been disrupted.
“Currently, all Afghans are suffering from poverty and unemployment,” he said. “Most families do not have an income source now.”
He criticized the Taliban, saying that they had not yet implemented their plans to combat unemployment and poverty crisis, and that this had caused concern among the people. According to him, in the past, people were killed during the clashes between the Taliban and former government forces, but now they will die of poverty and unemployment. He warns that if the crisis is not addressed promptly, there is the possibility of a human catastrophe due to famine.
Zabihullah Rahimi, an employee of a private company, has become unemployed since August 15. He says he is the only supporter of a family. He is currently unable to provide money even for himself. Zabihullah Rahimi calls on the Taliban to save the people by addressing the unemployment crisis as soon as possible. According to him, if this problem is not addressed, people will be forced to flee the country.
With the recent developments, almost all Afghan women became unemployed. The Taliban do not allow women employees to work, with the exception of female employees at the Ministry of Public Health. This has caused many problems for some families. Zakia (a pseudonym), a former government employee, has now lost her job. She says that she is the only supporter of her family and now she cannot afford daily expenses. Zakia added that the Taliban did not allow her to resume her job and told her to stay at home until further notification.
“The Taliban generally do not agree with the presence of female employees at work,” Zakia added. “They have not been allowed to work yet. What should some of families without male workers do? Has the Taliban ever thought about this? “For we cannot work, should we die of hunger?”
Meanwhile, it is not clear how the Taliban will create jobs and eradicate poverty. However, they acknowledge the rise in unemployment and poverty.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman said millions of dollars had been stolen from the Afghan people before the Taliban seized Kabul. He points to the theft of money by Ashraf Ghani, adding that people’s money has been taken from banks, stolen and transported abroad by helicopters. In addition, he states that the central bank’s assets have been frozen abroad and that is why poverty has increased in this country.
It is worth noting that the international community has also warned of rising poverty rates in Afghanistan. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in its latest report that millions of Afghans are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The UNHCR warns that a humanitarian catastrophe could occur if the problem of poverty is not addressed.
