Afghans voice appreciation for UAE’s generous aid after earthquake

A cross-section of Afghans has expressed appreciation for the UAE’s timely assistance, including the delivery of relief supplies and the deployment of rescue teams to earthquake-hit regions in the south-eastern parts of the country.

Mawlawi Abdul Ghafoor, an official in charge of food supplies in the affected region, said the UAE’s efforts at mitigating the impact of the disaster reflected true Islamic brotherhood. Thanking the UAE, he added that the continuing tremors were causing even the few homes still standing to collapse. “We are in need of everything from water to blankets,” he stressed.

Alam Gul, a resident of Chawkay district, described the horrors of the disaster: “It was just before midnight when the earthquake struck. We were all buried underneath. It felt like the Day of Judgment. We don’t have exact information about the number of dead; people are still being rescued, and bodies recovered. People have nothing left, neither shelter, nor food,” he explained.

Abdul Basir Sabat, a fellow resident from the same district, said his village alone had lost 103 precious lives. “I don’t even have the strength to speak – we have been through a terrible time. All the houses have been destroyed; people are sleeping outside. People are moving to open fields to protect themselves and are in urgent need of tents and other essentials,” he pointed out.

Gul Rahim, a resident of Dareh Diwagul, said that 80 people had died in his village. “The UAE has sent us aid materials. We know more is on the way. Our message to the world is that people are going through great hardship. They have no homes nor other essentials of life. They need help,” he added.

A man who lost nine members of his family to the disaster said that tents were not enough for shelter as winter was approaching. “Our houses have collapsed. Everything we had is destroyed. If at least one room could be arranged for us to live in, it would help,” he pointed out.

Dr. Shafiullah Ahmadzai, Deputy Chief of Public Health in Kunar Province, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the UAE for its humanitarian support, saying: “We hope that the UAE will continue to provide further assistance. Our country is poor and our people are suffering. The impact of the earthquakes remains catastrophic, and people are in increasing and urgent need of various forms of aid so they can return to a better and more normal life.”

The United Nations earlier launched a four-month emergency response plan for $139.6 million for Afghanistan so that humanitarian organisations can help 457,000 people affected by last week’s devastating earthquake in the eastern region.

“This is a moment where the international community must dig deep and show solidarity with a population that has already endured so much suffering,” said Indrika Ratwatte, Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan. “With winter fast approaching, we are in a race against time to support affected communities with just the bare minimum. The resilience of the Afghan people has been continually tested and there is a real danger, with each crisis that hits, that the fragile gains made in recent years will be reversed.”

Almost 500,000 people in Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces of eastern Afghanistan have been directly impacted by the earthquake, with over 2,200 people having lost their lives.

WAM