Afghanistan’s child deaths rising as food distributions face cuts, says UN
The UN World Food Program reports that child malnutrition in Afghanistan has reached critical levels due to funding shortfalls and aid cuts. Millions of children are at risk as health facilities close and humanitarian support diminishes.
Why it matters
The worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan highlights the impact of geopolitical instability and reduced international aid on vulnerable populations.
Child malnutrition has reached critical levels in a third of Afghanistan’s provinces and is expected to worsen as funding shortfalls force cuts in food distributions and other support, the UN World Food Program (WFP) said on Tuesday (August 4, 2026).
“We must act now to stem the rise in child deaths, which this crisis is provoking,” John Aylieff, WFP’s country director in Afghanistan, said in a statement, adding that “it is already too late for too many.”
Afghanistan continues to recover from decades of conflict and upheaval, including the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in 2021 as the Taliban took power.
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