PESHAWAR: The United Nations warned that there is an urgent need of humanitarian assistance as more than half of the conflict-affected country’s population – 22.8 million – are facing ‘acute’ food shortage.
The UN agency said that drought, conflict and economic downturn have severely affected the livelihoods Afghans over the years, said a joint research by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program. “Among those are 3.2 million children under the age of five are at risk of malnutrition by the end of the year,” the report said.
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The Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP), David Beasley, lamented that the crisis in Afghanistan is “one of the worst” in the world. Beasley said that there is severe shortage of food in the country. “Millions of Afghans would be forced to migrate the winter, if we failed to provide support” Beasley said. “Afghanistan is on the brink of catastrophe. There is need for an urgent action.”
Similarly, Save the Children said on Monday warned that 14 million children are facing food shortages this winter. “Five million children are currently just one step away from famine,” Save the children said. The aid agency cited media reports this week that eight children from the same family in Kabul have starved to death.
After the Taliban takeover on in the mid of August the international community stopped aid and seized Afghanistan’s assets. Though there is a relative peace now but now the Taliban-led war-riddled country is facing poverty, outages and droughts. The Taliban government have come up with a unique “food-for-work” program to fight hunger, rising unemployment and poverty in Afghanistan.
The Taliban say the plan will help fight hunger in the country and people will get food in return for work. The Taliban government said, “It has devised a new plan to fight hunger and unemployment. Under this, thousands of unemployed people will be provided wheat in return for work.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the international community for immediate steps to prevent humanitarian crisis and economic catastrophe Afghans facing ‘acute’ food shortage, said a statement issued after his meeting with Saudi crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.