Kabul locals struggle with higher food, fuel prices

Kabul [Afghanistan], December 18 (ANI): Amidst harsh winter, people living in Kabul are struggling for food, fuel, and other basic items in the face of a surge in fuel prices coupled with high unemployment rates, according to local media. Some of the country’s citizens have said that they have no way to heat their homes in the cold weather, reported Tolo News on Saturday.

According to residents, unemployment and the rising prices of fuel and food pose mounting challenges. As the Afghani currency dropped sharply against the dollar, the price of fuel has risen. “Currently, 560(kilos) of coal is 6,000 Afs,” said Ali Dad, a coal seller.

Koko Gul, who lives in a tent in the remote area of Kabul, said that she cannot afford to buy wood this winter due to rocketing prices. “There was no money, I could not buy firewood or a heater. I collected a bit of dung and plastic, but it is not enough for the winter,” Koko Gul told Tolo News. “When there is a job opportunity in the country, we do not need charity. If there is any kind of work, I will do it, but there is not,” said Sayed Habibiullah, a Kabul resident.
“The prices are high, I myself have not worked for five years, I am trying to find a job,” said Zabiullah, a Kabul resident.

This comes after the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said in its latest report that ninety-eight percent of Afghans do not have adequate access to food. (ANI)