The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued a stark warning regarding the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
According to a recent statement, 14.8 million people in the country are currently facing food insecurity, with 3.1 million of them experiencing emergency-level conditions.
With the arrival of Ramadan, the situation has become even more dire, with millions of Afghans now uncertain about where their next meal will come from. OCHA has underscored the urgent need for $1.09 billion to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the Afghan population. However, the international response has been severely lacking, with only $9.9 million secured to date, a mere fraction of the required amount.
The humanitarian crisis has been further compounded by the political and economic instability that followed the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. In November 2024, OCHA reported that 23.7 million people, including 9.2 million children, remain in need of humanitarian assistance. Despite OCHA’s appeal for $3.1 billion in humanitarian funding for 2024, only $1.15 billion were received, a significant shortfall that severely hampered relief efforts.
Compounding the challenges, the United States, one of the largest contributors of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, has suspended all foreign aid since the new U.S. President took office in January 2025. This decision has had a devastating impact on humanitarian operations, as U.S. funding has historically been critical in supporting food, healthcare and education programs.
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump linked the resumption of aid to Afghanistan to the return of military equipment left in the country following the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The Taliban, however, has refused to comply with this demand, creating a stalemate that further delays the delivery of much needed assistance.
The suspension of U.S. aid, coupled with the lack of contributions from other donors, has left humanitarian organizations struggling to address the overwhelming needs of the Afghan people. The situation remains dire, with millions at risk of starvation and without access to basic necessities, underscoring the urgent need for increased international support and funding.
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Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara is ready to help reinforce the ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as clashes between the two neighbours continue for a sixth consecutive day.
At least 42 people have been killed and 104 wounded in fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Tuesday. The latest death toll figures come as fighting between the two neighbours enters its sixth day.
Protests broke out in Pakistan and Iraq on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. At least nine people were reported dead in clashes near the U.S. consulate in Karachi.
Afghanistan said it had fired at Pakistani aircraft over Kabul after explosions and gunfire rocked the capital early on Sunday, marking a sharp escalation in fighting between the two neighbours.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
A U.S. submarine strike sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 80 dead, the country’s deputy foreign minister said. Meanwhile, Iran postponed the funeral of its late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to state media.
The election of Iran’s next supreme leader could provide an opportunity to end the ongoing regional war involving Israel, the U.S. and Iran, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said.
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a video of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship off the southern Sri Lankan coast. At least 80 people died in the U.S. attack on the vessel, Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister said.
Rising tensions in the Middle East are beginning to affect Kazakhstan’s economy and citizens, disrupting grain trade across the Caspian Sea and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of Kazakh nationals from several countries in the region.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the country’s expanding gas exports to Europe and its renewable energy ambitions during the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council’s 12th Ministerial Meeting and the Green Energy Advisory Council’s 4th Ministerial Meeting in Baku on Tuesday (3 March).
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