Afghanistan malnutrition: Afghanistan is facing its most severe wave of child malnutrition to date, the World Food Programme (WFP) said Monday, warning of a growing humanitarian crisis as food insecurity deepens and donor support declines.
Nearly 10 million Afghans, about a quarter of the country’s population, are now facing acute food insecurity. The UN agency reports that one in every three children suffers from stunting, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
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The WFP has attributed the alarming rise in malnutrition primarily to a significant reduction in emergency food aid over the past two years. A major setback came in April when the administration of US President Donald Trump halted food assistance to Afghanistan, a move that cut a critical lifeline in one of the world’s poorest nations. The US had previously been the WFP’s largest donor, contributing $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion in global donations last year.
“Going forward, the WFP does not have sufficient funding to cover the returnee response at this time and requires $15 million to support all eligible Afghans returning from Iran,” said WFP Communications Officer Ziauddin Safi. He added that $539 million is needed through January to sustain support for Afghanistan’s most vulnerable families.
The crisis has been further compounded by mass deportations from neighbouring countries, particularly Iran, which has seen thousands of Afghans crossing back into Afghanistan in recent months. The WFP said it has supported only 60,000 returnees so far, a small fraction of the actual number.
Climate change is also intensifying the crisis. Matiullah Khalis, head of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency, recently warned that drought, flash floods, shrinking arable land, and worsening water shortages are severely impacting rural livelihoods and the national economy.
