US Aid Cut Pushes Afghanistan to Brink of Humanitarian Catastrophe

DID Press: New York Times reported that Afghanistan, following a sharp reduction in U.S. foreign aid, is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in 25 years. Record-high child malnutrition, the closure of hundreds of healthcare centers, the forced return of millions of refugees, and deadly earthquakes have all compounded pressure on a country whose economy and infrastructure were already fragile.

According to the World Food Programme, approximately four million Afghan children are now at risk of death from malnutrition—an unprecedented figure in a quarter-century. This crisis intensified after the U.S. government effectively halted its aid to Afghanistan and dissolved the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Even after the 2021 military withdrawal, the U.S. had been providing nearly $1 billion annually to Afghanistan—more than one-third of the country’s total foreign aid. Last year, however, this funding was almost entirely cut off. Programs that previously mitigated poverty and hunger—such as mine clearance, agricultural support, and healthcare services—have now ceased.

“The U.S. exit worsened conditions that were already dire. No other donor has stepped in at that scale, nor could they,” said Sherine Ibrahim, a former head of the Afghanistan office of the International Rescue Committee, adding that the organization received about 75 percent of its budget from the U.S. government.

The consequences of this aid cut are visible in everyday life. Nearly 450 healthcare centers across the country have closed.

In the drought-affected village of Nalej, a small white clinic that had long provided maternal and nutritional care was shut down. Malika Ghulami, who previously delivered two of her children at the same clinic, had to travel over an hour on rough, dirt roads to reach the nearest operational clinic for her recent twin pregnancy. One infant was stillborn, and the other survived only a few hours.

Residents report similar cases are increasing. Nurses say that more women are experiencing prolonged labor in transit or giving birth in vehicles, arriving at clinics with severe bleeding.

Beyond the health crisis, Afghanistan faces concurrent shocks. Two deadly earthquakes in recent months claimed thousands of lives. Additionally, about 2.8 million Afghan refugees have been forced to return from neighboring countries; Pakistan alone expelled 900,000 Afghans last year. This large-scale return has placed further strain on the country’s already limited resources.

Observers note that this combination of factors has pushed Afghanistan into a cycle of poverty, hunger, and death, which will be difficult to reverse without the return of international aid or replacement at a comparable scale.