Afghanistan is facing a catastrophic hunger crisis, marked by worsening malnutrition and a threat to the lives of millions of children, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday.
According to the WFP’s Director in Afghanistan, John Aylieff, the country is going through a “catastrophic food crisis,” with around two-thirds of the population suffering from acute malnutrition or having reached crisis levels, the highest rate ever recorded in the country’s history, and “the lives of 4 million children are hanging in the balance”
The WFP official recalled that Afghanistan, exhausted by four decades of conflict, has long depended on international assistance.
The humanitarian crisis has worsened due to the deteriorating economic situation, severe drought, two devastating earthquakes in 2025, and the return of some 5.3 million Afghans expelled from neighboring Pakistan and Iran, further straining already limited resources.
