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Indonesia mobilizes humanitarian aid for Afghanistan
More than half of Afghanistan's population live under the threat of starvation, while upward of 3 million children face the risk of malnutrition, due to low food stocks.
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An airport staffer at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul unloads humanitarian assistance on Sunday. Indonesia has sent two airplanes full of aid relief to help ease the burden of widespread famine. (Courtesy of Indonesian Foreign Ministry/-)
T
he government sent two airplanes full of aid relief to Afghanistan over the weekend to help ease an unraveling humanitarian crisis in the conflict-ridden country.
More than half of the Afghan population, roughly 23 million people, is living under the threat of starvation, while upward of 3 million children face the risk of malnutrition, due to the South Asian nation running out of food stocks.
In the early hours of Sunday, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi oversaw the delivery of humanitarian assistance containing food and vitamins at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten to help remedy the situation in Afghanistan.
The two aircraft arrived separately at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital Kabul at 10 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. local time after an eight-hour journey.
“Humanitarian aid for the Afghan people is being provided in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan,” she said during the send-off at the airport.
Having been actively involved in the mediation of the Afghan crisis talks over the last few years, Indonesia has sought to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of the Afghan people. The nation currently hosts the largest group of Afghan refugees in Southeast Asia.
The government has coordinated with a number of United Nations agencies, particularly the World Food Programme, to mobilize aid to Afghanistan, which is currently facing “the world's largest humanitarian crisis”.
