Kabul: The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a dire warning, stating that a staggering one billion dollars is urgently needed to prevent a looming humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, as reported by Khaama Press.
The WFP further disclosed that it is only able to provide food assistance to one out of every ten Afghan citizens currently facing dire needs.
In a statement posted on its social media platform on Wednesday, the organization emphasized the severe funding shortfall facing Afghanistan. According to the WFP, a staggering 10 million Afghans have been left without essential humanitarian aid support this year, as reported by Khaama Press.
Additionally, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has sounded the alarm in its latest report, citing the drastic reduction and suspension of critical healthcare services for those in need within Afghanistan due to severe budget constraints.
It is noteworthy that the World Food Programme had previously indicated that it requires one billion dollars to assist a staggering 21 million people in Afghanistan, where over 20 million individuals are at risk of starvation.
Numerous humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned of funding shortages and the deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, driven by escalating poverty and hunger. To date, only around USD 1 billion of the desperately needed USD 3.23 billion for humanitarian aid has been secured, as reported by Khaama Press.
Afghanistan, a nation heavily reliant on foreign aid, faced a catastrophic economic collapse when the Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces in August 2021. This dire situation forced self-sufficient Afghans into a state of dependency on humanitarian assistance for their very survival.
The international community has isolated the Taliban regime due to widespread human rights violations. Notably, the resurgence of the Taliban in August 2021 dealt a severe blow to Afghanistan’s educational system, depriving girls of access to education and leading to religious seminaries increasingly filling the void left by schools and universities.
