Afghanistan faces alarming spike in child malnutrition

Afghanistan is experiencing a critical crisis as the World Food Program (WFP) reports the highest number of child malnutrition cases ever recorded in the country. The situation is dire, with almost 10 million people, which constitutes a quarter of the nation’s population, facing severe food insecurity. Contributing to this alarming statistic, one in three children in Afghanistan is reported to be stunted due to malnutrition. The surge in child malnutrition is heavily linked to a significant drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years. This decline has been attributed to dwindling donor support, which has been a major concern for humanitarian efforts in the region. A critical turning point occurred in April when the Trump administration cut off food aid to Afghanistan, impacting one of the world's poorest countries. The United States was previously the principal donor to the World Food Program, having provided $4.5 billion out of a total of $9.8 billion in donations the previous year. The previous U.S. administrations viewed this type of aid as essential to addressing various national security concerns, including mitigating conflict, poverty, and extremism, as well as curbing irregular migration. The issue of food insecurity has been exacerbated by the mass returns of displaced individuals from neighboring countries. Many of these returnees are being deported from countries such as Iran, where they are often said to be living there illegally. In the last two months alone, the WFP has reported providing support to about 60,000 Afghans returning from Iran, a small fraction compared to the actual number crossing the border. Ziauddin Safi, a communications officer with WFP, highlighted that the organization is currently struggling with insufficient funds to support these returnees, estimating a need for $15 million to assist all eligible returnees from Iran. The WFP has further indicated that to effectively support vulnerable families across Afghanistan, they require $539 million by January. Additionally, the impact of climate change is further worsening the plight of many Afghans, particularly those residing in rural areas. Matiullah Khalis, the head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, has noted that adverse climatic conditions, such as ongoing droughts, water shortages, declining arable lands, and flash floods, are having a profound effect on people's lives as well as the overall economy of Afghanistan. This combination of factors paints a grim picture of the current humanitarian crisis in the region.