The World Food Programme’s Afghanistan country director has said the cost of transporting food aid into the country has tripled, as global shipping disruption delays supplies for vulnerable children.
The Guardian reported that John Aylieff, the World Food Programme (WFP) country director in Afghanistan, said the agency is now facing significantly higher costs to bring food into the landlocked country.
According to The Guardian, WFP supplies of “fortified biscuits” are being transported by road from Dubai through seven countries to Afghanistan. The report said the agency is avoiding its usual route through the Strait of Hormuz, adding three weeks to the journey.
Aylieff said the delays are already affecting children in Afghanistan.
“Afghan children today are going hungry as a result,” Aylieff told The Guardian, adding that many could die.
The report said aid organisations are calling for a humanitarian corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, as rising oil prices and shipping disruption slow the delivery of food, medicine and fuel to countries already facing humanitarian crises.
The Guardian said the disruption is linked to volatility in global oil prices following the U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran. It reported that oil prices rose from about $60 a barrel at the start of the year, peaking at nearly $120, while recently standing at around $111.
A WFP spokesperson told The Guardian that rising oil prices could prevent the agency from reaching around 1.5 million people worldwide in the coming months.
The newspaper also reported that WFP is attempting to reroute approximately 93,000 tonnes of food, including fortified biscuits and nutritional supplements, to communities in urgent need.
AnewZ contacted the Afghan government spokesperson for comment on the reported price increases but had not received a response by the time of publication.
So far, there has been no public reaction from the Afghan de facto authorities to The Guardian’s report. However, Kabul has previously acknowledged the country’s worsening food security crisis and earlier this year announced a UN- and Asian Development Bank-backed programme to support vulnerable Afghan families.
A senior U.S. official said on Monday that the memorandum of understanding linked the U.S.-Iran agreement had been signed by President Donald Trump, V...
The UK has become the latest country to annouce a social media ban for children under 16. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the announcement on...
An armed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed on a Black Sea beach in northern Türkiye on Sunday, prompting a security operation and the controlled detona...
Spain has received around 900,000 applications from undocumented migrants seeking legal status under a government regularisation programme. The influx...
A Ukrainian man has been found guilty of carrying out a series of arson attacks on properties linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after bein...
Trade routes through Afghanistan took centre stage in Almaty as the European Union, Central Asian states and the United Nations discussed the country's role in shaping regional security and economic connectivity.
Authorities in the western Afghan city of Herat have arrested at least 30 women for allegedly breaching dress rules imposed by the Taliban, according to the United Nations agency for women’s rights.
More than 500 Afghan prisoners serving prison terms in Iran have been transferred to Afghanistan after their identities were verified, Afghan officials said, as Kabul and Tehran continue a prisoner transfer process.
Pakistan says it has killed 26 militants in strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, marking the most significant escalation between the neighbouring countries since a China-brokered diplomatic effort helped ease tensions earlier this year.
Details of a reported draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offer the clearest picture yet of how both sides plan to end months of conflict and move towards a longer-term settlement.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
A senior U.S. official said on Monday that the memorandum of understanding linked the U.S.-Iran agreement had been signed by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
Switzerland on Sunday rejected a referendum proposal to cap its population at 10 million, a projection showed, as voters prioritised economic stability and the country's ties with the European Union over immigration concerns.
An armed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed on a Black Sea beach in northern Türkiye on Sunday, prompting a security operation and the controlled detonation of its munitions.
Fighting in southern Lebanon eased on Monday after a U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending months of regional conflict was announced, although uncertainty remained over how the deal would be implemented on the ground.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday welcomed the newly announced peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, urging all parties to exercise restraint and work towards a lasting settlement.
Trade routes through Afghanistan took centre stage in Almaty as the European Union, Central Asian states and the United Nations discussed the country's role in shaping regional security and economic connectivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told U.S. President Donald Trump that Israel does not consider itself bound by a Lebanon-related provision in an emerging agreement with Iran, according to Israeli officials.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment