AP
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Afghanistan is seeing the sharpest surge in child malnutrition, the World Food Program said Monday, adding that $539 million is needed to help the country’s most vulnerable families.
Approximately 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan’s population, face acute food insecurity. One in three children develops.
WFP said the increase in child malnutrition is linked to a decline in emergency food aid over the past two years as donor assistance is declining. In April, US President Donald Trump’s administration blocked food aid to Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world.
The US is WFP’s biggest funder, providing $4.5 billion last year with a $9.8 billion donation. Previous US administrations saw aid, such as contributing to national security by mitigating conflict, poverty, extremism, and migration control.
Food insecurity in Afghanistan is exacerbated by massive returns from neighbouring countries.
The WFP said the 60,000 Afghans who have returned from Iran in the past two months support some of those who are crossing the border.
“Now, WFP does not have enough funds to cover the responses of returnees at this time, so we will need $15 million to support all eligible returnees from Iran,” said Ziauddin Safi of WFP Communications. He said he would need $539 million until January to help vulnerable families in Afghanistan.
Climate change is also hurting populations, particularly rural populations.
Last week, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, Matiura Karis said droughts, water shortages, reduced arable land and flash floods have “deeply affected” people’s lives and the economy.
