The final withdrawal of the U.S. from Afghanistan on Aug. 30 does not mean an end to United Methodist concerns over the humanitarian crisis in that country and the plight of refugees facing resettlement.
As staff of the General Board of Global Ministries, David Wildman has made occasional trips to Afghanistan over several decades to meet with humanitarian partners. Any political entity running a government, he explained, recognizes that some level of health care, community development and education are needed if a country is to survive.
Your support of the World Service Fund apportionment supports program-related general agencies, which are especially important to the common vision, mission, and ministry of The United Methodist Church.
“We, as United Methodists have partnered with ecumenical partners and with Afghans since the mid-1960s in working with health care and economic development,” Wildman said. “We fully anticipate the work will continue, with a variety of partners.”
The United Methodist Committee on Relief will be working with long-standing partners to provide humanitarian relief in Afghanistan and is prepared to assist with refugee resettlement.
Mark W. Harrison, Director of the Peace with Justice Program of the General Board of Church and Society, said he has struggled with the question of what responsibility the U.S. government bears toward Afghanistan in addressing critical issues of hunger and development. “I think we need to put this in the framing that the U.S. war effort did not accomplish what we were told by U.S. leadership,” he added.
The chaos surrounding the U.S. withdrawal and rapid ascent of a new Taliban government contributed to the humanitarian concerns, while the horrific suicide bombings near the Kabul Airport on Aug. 26 that claimed innocent lives — killing nearly 200 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. service members — added an “insane” element to the situation, Harrison said. “War is a human tragedy,” he declared.
“There’s a strong mandate for us as Christians, certainly as United Methodists, to support those trying to flee violence and persecution,” Wildman said.
Congress may hold hearings on the lessons learned from 20 years of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, Harrison said. United Methodists also need “to be looking at peace issues and the role that the U.S. military plays in the world,” along with alternatives to war and the use of diplomacy to address conflicts.
Wildman noted that the U.S. was talking with the Taliban every day in recent weeks. “To see that shift, I think, affirms a longstanding United Methodist principle that we should talk with everyone, including our enemies. That’s far better than fighting.”
He expressed concern about foreign donors freezing contributions to what currently amounts to about 80 percent of the income for the Afghan government, directly affecting health care and salaries.
30-40% of Afghans already face food insecurity, Wildman said, and the entire country, dependent on agriculture, is dealing with severe drought. If borders are closed, there is no ability to supplement income with migrant work in nearby countries.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has called for Afghanistan’s borders to be kept open and for more countries to share the responsibility of taking in Afghan refugees.
More recently, however, a number of countries have turned back Afghans — now the second largest refugee population in the world and the largest in Asia — Wildman said. He would like to see the U.S. give Afghans temporary protective status under its refugee and asylum laws, as it has in the past for those from El Salvador and Haiti.
excerpt from a story by Linda Bloom, interim communications director, General Board of Church and Society.
The World Service Fund provides basic financial support to program-related general agencies, which are especially important to the common vision, mission, and ministry of The United Methodist Church. Through World Service funding, agencies support annual conferences and local congregations in living out God’s mission for the worldwide Church. General agencies also provide essential services and ministries beyond the scope of individual local congregations and annual conferences through services and ministries that are highly focused, flexible, and capable of rapid response.
