Afghanistan hunger reaches record levels, with 15.9 million people in acute food insecurity

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitor, reported on Thursday that acute malnutrition and hunger in Afghanistan have reached the highest levels ever recorded. The IPC counted 15.9 million people in acute food insecurity. UN News reported the findings.

The IPC sorts food insecurity into five phases, with famine the worst. More than 32 per cent of Afghanistan's population is in phase three, a crisis, or worse. That includes 3.4 million people in phase four, an emergency. UN News describes phase four as the condition that precedes famine. The IPC is an initiative that brings together UN agencies, regional partners and aid groups, so UN bodies are among those who produced the count and among those now asking for money.

The IPC report said the current deterioration is driven by disease outbreaks and poor water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, made worse by sharply reduced access to nutrition services. It also named economic pressure on households. “Although improved rainfall and better agricultural production have supported food availability, declining humanitarian assistance is reducing households’ ability to cope,” the report warned.

The IPC expects conditions to worsen during the lean season from November to April. It projects that nearly 19.2 million people will be in phase three or above, including five million in emergency conditions. The Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said that figure is 38 per cent of the population, up from 17.4 million a year earlier.

Children are a particular concern. The IPC projects that 4.04 million children under age five will need treatment for acute malnutrition between January and December 2027. It projects severe acute malnutrition among children will rise by 16 per cent, from 942,000 cases to nearly 1.1 million. The Secretary-General's spokesperson's office said UNICEF and Action Against Hunger put the number needing treatment next year at more than 4 million, the highest in five years, with more than a million expected to suffer the most severe form.

The spokesperson's office also said better harvests have not restored access to nutritious food, because persistent unemployment leaves many families unable to afford it. It said more than 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return home from Iran and Pakistan this year.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called on Thursday for urgent funding. They want more food assistance, emergency agricultural support, and malnutrition prevention and treatment. The spokesperson's office said the money is needed before winter restricts access and farmers miss critical planting windows. “We still have a window to act, but it is closing fast,” said John Aylieff, the WFP country director. He said that with urgent support, families can get through the winter with dignity. Richard Trenchard, the FAO representative, said families need chances to earn a dependable living, and support to get through this winter.

The source items do not say how much money the agencies are asking for or how large the funding gap is. They do not say which donors have reduced assistance.

On the same day, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) issued a separate report on human rights from July to September. It documented at least 443 arbitrary arrests and detentions and 97 incidents of ill-treatment by officials of the Taliban authorities' virtue and vice enforcement. It also said girls remain barred from formal education beyond grade six.