Afghanistan is confronting an escalating humanitarian emergency as freezing winter conditions, widespread food insecurity and sharp reductions in international aid leave millions struggling to survive, aid agencies have warned.
Families across the country are living in makeshift shelters, burning scraps of wood and rubbish to stay warm and scavenging for food amid soaring prices and limited work opportunities, according to United Nations assessments.
More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are now facing acute food insecurity this winter (up by about three million from last year) and nearly 4.7 million could reach emergency levels of hunger, the World Food Programme (WFP) has said.
The crisis has been compounded this year by the return of more than 2.6 million Afghans from Iran and Pakistan, driven largely by tightened migration policies and deteriorating protection conditions. This has placed further strain on limited local resources and services, according to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
Aid organisations report surging malnutrition, particularly among children and women, while clinics and distribution points are overwhelmed.
Samiullah, a 55-year-old Afghan deportee from Iran, described the daily struggle with cold and hunger.
“We live here out of necessity and hardship. Whatever is within our power, we will do. Our hearts long for many things, but we simply cannot afford them. When the wind and rain come, we hold our children close and keep going — because we have no choice. The children cry that it’s cold, but what can we do? We endure because we have to.”
He also spoke of days without sufficient food.
“There was a time we went hungry for two days. I had only 50 Afghanis ($0.75), and with that small amount, we bought bread for the children. We tore it into pieces and shared it among them. Adults can endure hunger, but children cannot. For two days, we survived on just 50 Afghanis.”
Alarming statistics
WFP estimates that around 4.9 million mothers and children in Afghanistan will need treatment for malnutrition by March 2026, and that nearly one in five people in the country face extreme hunger due to the confluence of drought, displacement and economic decline.
John Aylieff, WFP’s country director, warned of an alarming escalation in hunger, saying that one third of the population are experiencing acute hunger.
According to Aylieff, the situation is dramatically worse than last year due to a confluence of factors.
"There's a drought in the north. Malnutrition is rising exponentially. We have the return of 2.5 million people this year to Afghanistan. The forced return. All these things are coming together to create a perfect storm for Afghanistan,” he stated.
Humanitarian organisations also stress that funding shortfalls have left them badly overstretched, reaching only a fraction of those in need while long queues form at food distribution sites.
The United Nations and its partners have launched a $1.7 billion appeal to assist nearly 18 million people, but resources are declining; this year’s appeal reflects a reduction in aid compared with 2025, even as needs grow.
Crisis outlook
More than 45% of Afghanistan’s population (roughly 21.9 million people) is estimated to need humanitarian assistance in 2026, with the worst impacts expected through the lean season and winter months.
Aid groups have repeatedly warned that, without additional support, malnutrition and food insecurity could worsen, with especially severe consequences for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
The humanitarian organisation Save the Children estimates that more than 9 million Afghan children face critical hunger this winter, with malnutrition admissions rising sharply compared with last year.
The crisis highlights the challenges of overlapping emergencies in Afghanistan, where decades of conflict, economic hardship, environmental disasters and restricted humanitarian access continue to erode resilience among the most vulnerable families.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is ready to pursue diplomacy with Iran as nuclear talks resume in Geneva, using a visit to Budapes...
Geneva is set to host two sets of negotiations on Tuesday, with U.S. officials meeting Iranian representatives in the morning and a trilateral session...
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has moved swiftly to consolidate his authority following the dismissal of his long-time ally Kamchybek Tashiev, head of...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy held military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday (16 February), state-linked media reported. The drill too...
A man accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades appeared briefly in a Sydney court on Monday (16 February)...
The United Nations Security Council has renewed the Monitoring Team's mandate for another year. The Team supports the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee, keeping in place restrictions that target individuals and entities linked to the Taliban.
Afghanistan’s Health Minister has urged urgent action to strengthen domestic polio diagnostics and expand healthcare for returnees and vulnerable communities, pressing international partners in Kabul for faster, fully funded support as the country faces mounting strain on its health system.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has accused Afghanistan’s authorities of fostering conditions “similar to or worse than pre-9/11”, as tensions between the two neighbours intensify amid a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.
Afghan officials and international partners met in Kabul on Wednesday (4 February) for the fourth meeting of the Doha Process Working Group on Counter-Narcotics, with officials citing a reduction in poppy cultivation to “nearly zero” as efforts to curb drug production and trafficking were reviewed.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said China has the power to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, arguing that Beijing is enabling Moscow’s military campaign.
Austria’s Janine Flock won the gold medal in the women’s skeleton event at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (15 February) called it “troubling” a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin from poison dart frogs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russia’s decision to change the leadership of its delegation for upcoming peace talks in Geneva appeared to be an attempt to delay progress.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has moved swiftly to consolidate his authority following the dismissal of his long-time ally Kamchybek Tashiev, head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS).
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on Monday ahead of a second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, according to Iranian state media.
Azerbaijan and Serbia have formally launched a Strategic Partnership Council, marking a new phase in bilateral relations and placing cooperation under direct presidential oversight.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Four people were killed on Sunday evening in an Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle in eastern Lebanon near the Lebanese-Syrian border, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment