More than four million mothers and children are now suffering from malnutrition in Afghanistan, the World Food Program warned on Wednesday, as deepening poverty, unemployment and donor fatigue push the country’s humanitarian crisis to new extremes.
In a post on X, the U.N. agency said the rising toll is directly tied to food insecurity and widespread economic hardship, especially in female-headed households or those with limited income.
“Malnutrition is tightening its grip on Afghanistan’s most vulnerable,” the agency wrote, sharing a video of Bibi Hawa, a mother in Kabul struggling to feed her child. Her husband is unemployed, and the family survives on dry bread, she said.
“My husband brings home just half a kilo of flour every other day. That’s all we cook,” Hawa said in the WFP video. “We didn’t even have money for transport to the clinic.”
The warning comes as humanitarian groups across Afghanistan face a severe budget shortfall, with more than 23 million people in need of aid. Funding for relief operations has significantly declined, and aid organizations are increasingly constrained by bureaucratic obstacles and direct interference from Taliban authorities.
According to economic experts, the country’s deepening poverty is not only the result of drought or donor fatigue, but also of Taliban-imposed restrictions that have crippled key drivers of economic productivity—including labor, capital, and investment.
“The Taliban have shut down the very channels through which economic activity flows,” said Hamidullah Farooqi, an Afghan economist. “More than 50 percent of our population—women—have been barred from work, while a large share of men also remain jobless due to the absence of investment, the rule of law, or any climate conducive to business.”
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have issued over 50 decrees curtailing the rights of women, including banning them from working for NGOs and most government agencies. These restrictions, experts say, have not only dismantled a critical segment of the workforce but also slashed household incomes.
“The political uncertainty, fear of repression, and lack of inclusive governance have driven away investors and professionals alike,” said Sayed Haroon Amini, another economic analyst. “Women who used to support their families have lost their livelihoods. Add to that the unchecked corruption—and we’re seeing an economy on life support.”
Relief efforts have also been directly affected. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that Taliban interference is now the single largest obstacle to humanitarian operations in the country.
In April alone, 29 humanitarian staff were detained, and 35 relief activities were suspended due to Taliban-imposed access restrictions and operational interference.
The United Nations and its partners warn that without immediate and sustained international support—and a significant shift in domestic policy—the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan will only deepen.
