KABUL – Afghanistan is grappling with one of the most severe hunger crises in the world, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Thursday, marking World Food Day.
In a post on X, OCHA said that 9.5 million people in Afghanistan are suffering from acute food insecurity, with one in every five Afghans unsure where their next meal will come from.
The agency cautioned that without immediate funding, millions could face worsening malnutrition, particularly among women and children, the most vulnerable groups in the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), 4.7 million mothers and children across Afghanistan are currently affected by malnutrition.
The return of the Taliban to power in 2021, combined with recurring droughts and economic collapse, has plunged millions into poverty. The United Nations estimates that more than 22 million people, over half of Afghanistan’s population, are in need of humanitarian aid.
At the same time, global assistance to Afghanistan has significantly declined amid growing donor fatigue and restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women’s participation in aid work.
The worsening situation has been compounded by mass deportations of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries. More than two million people have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan this year alone, further straining the country’s already fragile resources.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly called for renewed international support, warning that without urgent intervention, Afghanistan could face another devastating wave of hunger during the coming winter months.
