of Sanctions on Afghanistan

With most of Afghanistan's population struggling to survive, sanctions imposed by the Security Council have had a tangible negative effect on the country's economy and on the ability of humanitarian agencies to assist its people, according to a new study released today by the United Nations.

"The population of Afghanistan is highly vulnerable and has little capacity to cope with any further economic shocks," warns the study, which was published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs following a two-month field investigation. The study finds that the sanctions, which were imposed by the UN Security Council last November in an attempt to persuade the Taliban to hand over indicted terrorist Usama bin Laden, have had harmful economic and psychological effects on Afghanistan's people, who were already reeling from the effects of strife and drought.

On a practical level, the restriction of flights by the Afghan national carrier, Ariana Airlines, has interrupted daily cargo flights which took fresh fruit out of the country and brought in, among other goods, half of all medicine and medical equipment used by hospitals in Kabul. Because fresh fruit can only be sold on the domestic market, Afghanistan's already poor citizens are suffering further losses. Almost all Afghan households without an able-bodied male are surviving only on food aid, children's work and begging. The recent Taliban edict restricting women from working is expected to exacerbate the situation.

On the psychological side, the study found that the sanctions have magnified feelings of isolation and victimization among the population. "There is a widespread perception that the UN has set out to harm rather than help Afghans," it states. "There is a strong sense of bitterness and bewilderment in that Security Council action is perceived as targeting an innocent population and not the authorities with which it has a quarrel."

While the study found almost no support within Afghanistan for further economic sanctions, an overwhelming majority of Afghans interviewed did favour the imposition of an arms embargo.

Noting that humanitarian agencies operating in Afghanistan have been largely insulated from frustrations over sanctions, the study warns that further sanctions could create "more serious fallout, amounting to security threats" for the agencies.

The Security Council is scheduled to discuss Afghanistan during closed-door consultations on Wednesday.