In eastern Afghanistan, in the border area with Pakistan, a severe earthquake claimed the lives of over 1,000 people at the end of June and destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of people. The ARD radio journalist Peter Hornung was traveling in the region and reports on the destruction, but also on the greatest difficulties for reconstruction.
SRF News: How do you have to imagine this region and why is the help so difficult?
Peter Hornung: It’s a completely underdeveloped and remote, hilly region. There is no infrastructure, not even roads and we drove partly through riverbeds. It is extremely difficult to transport injured people or relief supplies like this. There, on the border with Pakistan, there are no schools, no hospital, not even a telephone and no electricity. And water is only available locally.
What did you find in these ruined villages?
The need is unimaginable. We saw a completely destroyed mountain village. The mud houses collapsed. People have set up tents in these rubbles. And it’s not just the destruction to see, it’s also to smell. The dead have been buried. But sometimes there are still animals under the rubble, and it smells terribly of decay. Still, people want to stay. The people are currently living in tents belonging to aid organizations. A spokesman for disaster control in Kabul told me that they now want to build earthquake-proof. But he couldn’t answer the question with what money.
The dead have been buried. But sometimes there are still animals under the rubble, and it smells terribly of decay.
So there is no perspective for reconstruction?
Yes, there are many UN relief organizations there, but it’s only disaster relief, not long-term relief. If those first responders move on before winter, things will be difficult. Those responsible in Kabul told me that there was hardly anything that could be built there, and above all not everything at the same time, or even the road infrastructure. It’s so bad because the whole area was under Taliban control until a year ago. Construction work had to be secured militarily because there was always a threat of attacks. To put it bluntly, this is falling on your toes.
The Taliban have been in power in Kabul for over a year now. How good is their disaster relief?
There is a civil protection agency. They try really hard but lack everything. In the beginning, military helicopters were used to even discover these remote villages. There are no maps and in the provincial capital they said they didn’t know exactly where there were villages. The helicopters have partially discovered villages that nobody knew anything about.
The helicopters have partially discovered villages that nobody knew anything about.
But there is also a lack of experts, who all fled last year. There are also no female doctors who can treat women. Injured women were sometimes shielded by relatives and male doctors were not allowed to help them. Western organizations support Afghanistan and were also invited by the Taliban. But when the microphone is turned off, the representatives of the aid organizations talk about the difficulties of working with the Taliban. They would want to interfere everywhere and steer everything, including those who receive money.
If the Taliban make an effort, but there is a lack of it everywhere, is that a picture of the state of the country?
Having traveled to Afghanistan before, I’ve noticed for some time that the Taliban can’t make a state because they simply don’t have the people. There is an elite of educated Taliban. Some of you studied in the Gulf States or in the West. But then there are a lot of young people who fought somewhere in the mountains, who have no education whatsoever. Today they stand at checkpoints and inspect cars. But you won’t actually be able to use them in the long run. But the educated people have left the country. Many agencies are run by people who have no qualifications. They were put down by the Taliban as business leaders or heads of agencies, but they have no idea. Making a state with it is extremely difficult.
The conversation was conducted by Roger Brändlin.