Mothers and children in Afghanistan are bearing the brunt of a surging malnutrition emergency as converging crises overwhelm an already stretched humanitarian response, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned at the end of a visit by Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau, according to a press release. Economic distress, regional conflict, mass returns from Pakistan and Iran, and deep cuts to humanitarian funding are compounding the situation. Skau cautioned that WFP has been sounding alarm bells for months. The agency now urgently needs USD 350 million for the next six months to sustain its life-saving operations in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is already facing near-record malnutrition, with nearly five million mothers and children affected. Pressures are mounting due to the closure of the border with Pakistan, repeated floods and earthquakes, and a steep drop in humanitarian funding. The crisis is further compounded by spillover from the Middle East conflict. Soaring global fuel prices and disrupted supply routes are pushing WFP’s severely underfunded operations in Afghanistan to the brink. Thousands of mothers and children are being left without the support they urgently need.
Over the past several months, Afghanistan has seen an influx of returnees from Pakistan. Last year, nearly 2.8 million people returned from Pakistan and Iran, and this year has already seen an additional 500,000 returnees. Families are coming back to a country already stretched to breaking point. They are moving into host communities that are themselves struggling. Skau visited the Torkham crossing point at the Pakistan border during his trip.
“This week I met malnourished mothers and children who travelled for over two hours to reach a WFP-supported clinic in Hisar Shahi camp, only to be turned away because we have no nutritious supplements left to give them,” Skau said.
He described the scenes in eastern Afghanistan as heartbreaking and totally unacceptable. He noted that vulnerable families are crossing the border from Pakistan in growing numbers. Many arrive in a country where they know no one and have no place to go. Single mothers and families with young babies are crossing with nothing more than what they can carry.
WFP is opening new supply corridors, targeting the most vulnerable people, and working closely with other UN agencies and partners. Skau emphasized that the agency is doing everything it can to support as many people as possible, but the funds are not enough. Without urgent donor support and the passage of humanitarian cargo through key border points, these efforts will fall desperately short. The agency warns that a humanitarian disaster could affect millions of mothers and children. Securing the USD 350 million appeal remains essential to sustaining the response.
