WFP: Recent Earthquakes in Afghanistan Have Worsened the Hunger Crisis

Photo: Str/Xinhua

The World Food Programme (WFP) says that the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan have pushed the hunger and malnutrition crisis to an unprecedented level.

On Thursday (October 2), the organization said in a report that more than 9 million people, including millions of women and children, are facing acute food insecurity and that severe malnutrition among children and mothers has reached “the highest recorded level.”

According to the report, the eastern provinces, especially Kunar and Nangarhar, which suffered the most from the earthquakes, were already facing critical levels of malnutrition and now the situation has become worse. In only three provinces (Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman), 58,000 people have so far received emergency food assistance, but mountainous and remote areas still remain deprived of aid due to destroyed roads and lack of access.

The organization said that at the same time, the forced return of thousands of families from Pakistan has placed additional pressure on limited humanitarian resources.

The World Food Programme says that due to lack of funding, monthly food assistance has been reduced from several million people to less than one million. The organization has requested 622 million dollars for the next six months.

John Aylieff, WFP’s country director in Afghanistan, stressed:

“Earthquake survivors must not fall victim to a second wave of deaths in the winter. Without immediate assistance, hunger and malnutrition will threaten the lives of millions of Afghans.”