This article was written in collaboration with an Afghan national and law graduate from the University of Herat. I would like to thank them for their insight and representation. Their names have been anonymised due to ensuring their safety and freedom of speech.
Significant developments over the past week in international news in the Middle East and Central Asia has covered the exodus of citizens from Nagorno-Karabakh (a disputed area between Armenia and Azerbaijan) and in the last 48 hours, the surprise attack by Hamas from Gaza into settler regions in Israel (Occupied Palestine).
These events have and will continue to be covered in international media outlets constantly as the situations continue to unfold. There has been, however, another major event in the region in the last 72 hours. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan, 40 kilometres North-West of Herat on October 7th, 11:00 local time. At the time of writing, the Taliban has reported that over 2,000 people are confirmed to have died during the natural disaster and its aftershocks. Local sources have reported that there have been 26 aftershocks and thirteen villages have been completely destroyed.
Afghanistan has historically fallen victim to damaging earthquakes that have led to thousands of casualties, including large earthquakes in the Hindu Kush mountains in 2002 and a significant earthquake just last year. The frequency and severity of these earthquakes relate to Afghanistan’s geographical position, centring the Eurasian, Arabia and India tectonic plate.
The World Health Organisation and Doctors Without Borders have been on the ground to support existing medical facilities in treating patients in Herat and villages near the epicentre. A common form of housing in this region is mud brick housing, which unfortunately does not have the structural integrity to withstand such large earthquakes. It is estimated that there are still many people stuck below the rubble of buildings and mud brick housing.
Aftershocks may ensue and the total damage is still not known. However, there is scepticism within Afghanistan as to how much help the international community will provide beyond the allocation of staff and resources by the United Nations and its partner bodies. To shed light on these concerns, an interview was conducted with an Afghan national and Law graduate from Herat University:
“Most people in Herat spent last night (Saturday October 7) outside their homes in parks due to the possibility of aftershocks. Relief organisations such as the WFP (World Food Programme) etc, do not have enough funds and resources to help.”
However, with the complexities of the Taliban leadership, the question of whether enough is being done is looming. In Afghanistan, there is the “absence of crisis management” and domestic and international aid that does exist is reported to be “insufficient to effectively rescue the victims” leading to fears that the death toll could very well increase.
As for the response from the International community; “there is a lack of attention and financial aid for the current situation in Afghanistan, which may suggest the international community’s response has been inadequate”. In conjunction with the challenges of all but three countries: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and UAE, breaking diplomatic ties with Afghanistan as they do not recognise the Taliban as a legitimate government. Therefore assistance is limited as “no country has announced its readiness to help the people of Afghanistan or announced any donation.”
In a country that has faced decades of international interference, war, gender apartheid, natural disasters including earthquakes and severe climate change issues (which are expected to increase in frequency and severity), it is saddening to see reduced international interest in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the silence of the international community has become deafening: “human rights only remain on paper for us; no one wants to implement them in practice.”
Looking towards the future, major changes must be made to ensure the safety of the Afghan people. When asked how disaster response should be handled in the future, the anonymous contributor had the following to say: “I believe that the international community and NGOs should respond to natural disasters with compassion and support in the future, regardless of where they occur. Discriminatory approaches should be put aside, and human rights should be implemented in practice for all individuals. It is important to provide aid and support to those in need, regardless of their country’s level of development or political affiliations. The focus should be on providing humanitarian aid and support to those affected by natural disasters. At the end, I desperately implore the international community to relinquish any discriminatory tendencies that may persist, as human rights remain a mere theoretical construct, devoid of practical implementation.”
Note: since writing this article, a second 6.3 magnitude earthquake has rocked Afghanistan. At this stage the extent of the damage is largely unknown but many more casualties are feared.
