Source: UN News: Saturday, 07 March 2026 00:01 AM
The World Food Program (WFP) has warned that due to military clashes with Pakistan on the eastern and southern borders of Afghanistan and violent confrontation with Iran on the western border, insecurity in the country is deepening and the humanitarian situation is becoming complicated. According to the UN agency, the renewed fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan has had a deep impact on local communities who have already been living in vulnerable conditions for the past several years. in afghanistan WFP Giving information from Bangkok, Afghanistan representative and country director John Alief said that the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan extends for about 2,400 kilometers, which passes through about one-third of its provinces. Since February 26, about 20 thousand families have been forced to be displaced due to the violence that broke out on the ‘Durand Line’, the border separating the two countries. The clashes, air and ground attacks have affected more than 30 districts of Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, Paktika and Kandahar provinces, among other provinces. He said that due to the worsening security situation in these provinces, emergency food aid, social security, school food provision and livelihood related activities have been temporarily suspended. This has left about 1.6 lakh people deprived of emergency food aid. On August 31 last year, the communities in the mountainous areas most affected by the earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, especially Kunar and Nangarhar, were already in a very vulnerable situation. Now the same areas are once again in the grip of violence and are facing the greatest risk. These areas already had severe food insecurity. Hunger is rampant at ’emergency levels’ in more than half of the affected areas, while levels of extremely severe malnutrition remain extremely worrying in 4 provinces. © UN Women/Sayed Habib Bidell Near the Islam Qala border, returnees are entering Afghanistan. On the other hand, due to the violent conflict triggered by Israeli and American attacks in Iran on the western border of Afghanistan, there is a fear of return of a large number of Afghan people. The WFP representative pointed out that a large number of Afghan refugees had returned to their country during similar circumstances in June 2025. John Aliff, citing the example of 36-year-old Saeed Aziz, said that after returning from Iran They have neither home nor employment. He is unable to work due to injury and due to restrictions on women in the country, his wife is also unable to work, now his family is completely dependent on WFP’s assistance. In 2025, WFP provided cash assistance, nutritious biscuits and nutritious food items to approximately 5 lakh people returning to the borders of Iran and Pakistan. According to statistics, more than 25 lakh people returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone. Earlier, a recent estimate had warned that in the year 2026, the possibility of people returning to the country would be at the same level, but the situation could become more serious due to military clashes. © UNICEF/Sofia Visona Relief supplies are being prepared for Afghanistan from the UNICEF hub in Copenhagen, Denmark. Need for immediate food assistance: He said that the food insecurity situation in Afghanistan is currently one of the most serious hunger crises in the world. Every third citizen of the country, i.e. about 17.4 million people, is in need of urgent food assistance. About 3.7 million children are estimated to need treatment for malnutrition in the year 2026. The UN food agency warned that given the current financial situation, it will be difficult to reach adequate assistance to the displaced people within the country due to the families returning from Iran and Pakistan and the ongoing border clashes. WFP Director John Aliffe said that the World Food Organization, even this winter Food aid has been able to reach only a small portion of the needy. Funding for emergency relief operations could run out by April 2026, threatening to cut off life-saving assistance to millions of people. WFP needs US$313 million over the next six months. The UN agency has appealed to the international community to keep its promises and said that Afghanistan will not have to be left alone in this time of serious crisis.
