OIC Calls for Urgent Assistance for Afghanistan Flood Victims

 An Afghan boy walks along a flooded street in Sheikh Jalal, Baghlan province, Afghanistan May 12, 2024. (Reuters)
An Afghan boy walks along a flooded street in Sheikh Jalal, Baghlan province, Afghanistan May 12, 2024. (Reuters)
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OIC Calls for Urgent Assistance for Afghanistan Flood Victims

 An Afghan boy walks along a flooded street in Sheikh Jalal, Baghlan province, Afghanistan May 12, 2024. (Reuters)
An Afghan boy walks along a flooded street in Sheikh Jalal, Baghlan province, Afghanistan May 12, 2024. (Reuters)

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urgently appealed on Sunday to all its member states and other countries worldwide, as well as relief organizations, to assist the Afghani people affected by the ongoing floods.

Flash floods caused by heavy rains have devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday, as villagers buried their dead and aid agencies warned of widening havoc.

Thousands of homes were damaged and livestock wiped out, the Taliban-run refugee ministry said, while aid groups warned of damage to health care facilities and vital infrastructure, such as water supply, with streets left coated in mud.

The ministry said Sunday's latest tally of dead and injured came from its Baghlan provincial office, according to a post on X. Earlier, the interior ministry had put the toll from Friday's floods at 153, but warned it could rise.

Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters and the United Nations considers it one of countries most vulnerable to climate change.



Saudi FM Meets Visiting Counterparts ahead of Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib in Riyadh on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib in Riyadh on Sunday. (SPA)
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Saudi FM Meets Visiting Counterparts ahead of Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib in Riyadh on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib in Riyadh on Sunday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held talks in Riyadh on Sunday with his counterparts on the sidelines of the preparatory ministerial meeting for the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit.

He met with Lebanese caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Abdallah Bou Habib for talks on the developments in Lebanon. They also reviewed the topics on the summit’s agenda.

Prince Faisal also held separate talks with Nigerian FM Yusuf Maitama Tuggar and Syrian FM Bassam Sabbagh.

They discussed the summit's agenda and reviewed key regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The summit will be held in Riyadh on Monday.