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KABUL – Afghanistan teeters on the brink of a catastrophic hunger crisis, with the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) warning that winter could leave up to 15 million people in desperate need of food. A combination of severe drought, massive cuts to international aid, and the forced return of 1.5 million refugees from Iran and Pakistan has created “rising acute malnutrition,” WFP Country Director John Aylieff told reporters.
Currently, WFP clinics provide food for about 1 million Afghans, down from 5 million just a year ago, and hundreds of thousands are being turned away. In rural areas, up to 400 nutrition centers have closed due to lack of funding, leaving families to travel hours in vain. Kabul residents describe begging for rice and facing days without food, with some saying they are “ready to accept death.”
The WFP says nearly $539 million is urgently needed over the next six months to prevent famine. Yet foreign contributions have plummeted, with just $155 million received this year—down from nearly $560 million in 2024 and $1.6 billion in 2022. Aylieff called on the U.S. and other international donors to maintain and increase support, warning: “Now is not the moment for anyone to reduce or walk away.”
Taliban officials have largely remained silent on the crisis, blaming foreign sanctions for Afghanistan’s economic woes. Meanwhile, millions of vulnerable Afghans face a harsh winter with dwindling food supplies and little hope for relief.
