400 Tons of Enriched Biscuits Reach Afghanistan After Crossing Nine Countries
The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that 400 tons of enriched biscuits, after traveling approximately 15,000 kilometers and crossing nine countries, have finally arrived in Afghanistan. This shipment entered the country following the closure of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which forced multiple route changes for transportation.
Corinne Fischer, Head of Supply Chain at the World Food Programme, said on Saturday, June 6, that the shipment initially was transported by sea from Indonesia to Pakistan, with plans to enter Afghanistan by land. However, this plan was disrupted by the closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
According to Fischer, the shipment was then redirected to the Port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates to reach Iran by sea and then be transported to Afghanistan. Yet, with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, this route was also closed. Consequently, the World Food Programme was compelled to find a longer alternative land route.
Ultimately, the shipment passed through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan before entering Afghanistan via the border at Torghundi. These enriched biscuits are intended to be distributed to 172,000 school students across various parts of the country.
The World Food Programme emphasized that the process of delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has become unprecedentedly difficult and time-consuming. The agency warned that “hunger does not wait for routes to open.”
In a recent report, the organization warned that if the closure of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border continues alongside escalating crises in the Middle East, an additional 2.3 million people in Afghanistan could face food insecurity. Currently, 13.8 million people in the country are already struggling with food insecurity.
Earlier in March, the World Food Programme predicted that if the conflict in the Middle East persists and oil prices remain around $100 per barrel through the end of June, 45 million people worldwide might face acute food insecurity. The agency now states that this scenario is unfolding.
According to the organization, countries experiencing conflict, climate shocks, and economic difficulties, or those heavily dependent on imports, are suffering the most from the Middle East crisis because rising fuel, fertilizer, and food costs place additional pressure on vulnerable populations.
