London - (AFP) - Relief organizations ChristianAid and ActionAid announced Monday they were suspending their activities in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered a ban on women working in non-governmental organisations, bringing the total to six organizations that have taken a similar step.

ChristianAid's head of international programs, Ray Hassan, said in a statement that the organization was "urgently seeking clarification on this announcement and urging the authorities to rescind the ban. ... While we do, we are unfortunately suspending the operation of our programmes."

Hassan warned that "millions in Afghanistan are on the brink of starvation."

"Reports of families so desperate that they are forced to sell their children to buy food is heartbreaking," he added, adding that banning women from working in humanitarian organizations will only "impede our ability to provide aid to the growing number of people in need." ".

In turn, ActionAid announced that preventing women from working in it "impedes reaching half of the population who are already suffering from hunger."

"ActionAid has made the difficult decision to pause most of its programming in Afghanistan until the picture becomes clear," it said in a statement.

On Sunday, a similar joint statement was issued by Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE.

The International Relief Committee, which provides emergency services in the areas of health, education and others, and employs 3,000 women, also announced that it would suspend its activities throughout Afghanistan.

Banning women from working in organizations is the latest blow by the Taliban to women's rights in Afghanistan since they regained power last year.

Less than a week ago, hardline Islamists banned women from studying at universities, sparking outrage around the world and protests in some Afghan cities.
For its part, France denounced the Taliban's decision on Monday, describing the ban as the latest attack on women that threatens the delivery of aid.
The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Paris "condemns in the strongest terms" the embargo, which "will seriously hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid, to the detriment of the Afghan people ... at a time when the country is going through a serious economic and humanitarian crisis."