WFP Warns Malnutrition Crisis in Afghanistan Out of Control Amid Funding Shortages
The World Food Programme (WFP) has declared that the malnutrition crisis in Afghanistan has reached an uncontrollable level, and due to severe funding shortages, effective response is not possible.
John Iliffe, WFP’s country director in Afghanistan, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, August 4, from Kabul that the crisis is deepening daily and the agency has been unable to contain it. He stated that last year saw the highest annual increase in malnutrition, and the situation has worsened this year.
According to the United Nations agency’s forecasts, nearly 3.7 million children in Afghanistan will face acute malnutrition this year, and approximately 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women will also be affected. Iliffe added that wasting among children, the deadliest form of malnutrition, has now reached critical levels in one-third of the country’s provinces.
He said children under two years old account for 80 percent of severe cases, and the number of children urgently transferred to health centers is rising; however, many arrive late to clinics, reducing their chances of survival.
The WFP director cited regional conflicts, trade disruptions, forced returns from neighboring countries, and a sharp decline in international aid as the main factors worsening malnutrition. He warned that if the situation continues, countless children and mothers will face preventable deaths.
Iliffe also warned that widespread hunger could trigger a new wave of migration, extremism, and instability, stressing that instability in Afghanistan benefits no country.
Currently, nearly 14 million people in Afghanistan are struggling with severe hunger. However, due to budget cuts, the WFP has only been able to support one in nine individuals. Iliffe revealed that at the start of the year, the WFP required $900 million but has received only $130 million so far and urgently needs an additional $540 million to address acute food insecurity in the coming six months.
The World Food Programme has urged all donors, including the United States and countries that have halted their financial aid to Afghanistan, to resume support to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian crisis.
