KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that Afghanistan is facing its worst recorded surge in malnutrition, with about five million women and children in urgent need of treatment and humanitarian assistance.
In a post on X on Thursday, WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau said he observed shortages of specialised therapeutic food during a visit to a health clinic in Jalalabad, where mothers were unable to access treatment for their children.
“At a clinic by Jalalabad I saw desperate mothers left empty-handed as specialized foods had run out,” Skau wrote, calling for urgent action to secure funding and ensure aid flows across the Pakistan border.
He said Afghanistan has been hit by multiple shocks in recent months, including earthquakes, flooding, spillovers from conflicts in the Middle East, and tensions with Pakistan, all of which have added pressure to an already strained humanitarian system.
“Afghans have been through a lot, but the last few months have been especially tough,” he said.
The landlocked country is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, fueled by a combination of economic collapse, repeated climate-related disasters, internal displacement, mass returns of refugees, and a sharp decline in international aid. These factors have severely limited access to food, healthcare, and basic services for large segments of the population.
The United Nations estimates that nearly 22 million people — about half of Afghanistan’s population — require humanitarian assistance this year, with women and children accounting for the majority. Aid agencies warn that funding shortages continue to strain food assistance, maternal care, and nutrition treatment programs across the country.
