Malnutrition in Afghanistan on Verge of Uncontrollable Crisis

DID Press: World Food Programme (WFP), releasing a concerning report on Afghanistan’s situation, warned that more than 9.5 million people in the country are suffering from acute food insecurity.

In its latest report, WFP warned malnutrition crisis in Afghanistan is heading towards becoming uncontrollable.

This comes despite Afghanistan currently being in one of the most favorable seasons of the year. Nevertheless, 9.5 million people—equivalent to 20% of the country’s population—are still facing acute food insecurity.

The organization said that it currently has the capacity to assist only one million people per month. However, if no new funding is secured, humanitarian operations may be drastically reduced starting in October.

WFP added that the current budget is insufficient to provide specialized nutritious foods, and many malnutrition treatment centers have reported that their food stocks will last only 7 to 10 days.

As a result, many women and children suffering from malnutrition are being sent back without receiving assistance—a situation that makes combating acute malnutrition practically impossible.

WFP report noted that three key factors that have so far prevented the crisis from worsening are now under serious threat:

Remittances from migrants, which have decreased due to mass deportations;

The agricultural sector, which has been damaged by drought in 19 out of 34 provinces;

And humanitarian aid, which has sharply declined and is likely to run out before winter arrives.

The organization stressed that 80% of its recent assistance has been allocated to women with children. In July, it managed to provide food and cash assistance to 1.7 million people, and distributed more than 1.4 million dollars in cash to about 637,000 individuals.

WFP has called on the international community to urgently increase financial aid to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan—especially for women and children, who are the most vulnerable.