Afghans face 'avalanche of hunger and destitution' - U.N. agency

Record ID: 1650952

  • Title: Afghans face 'avalanche of hunger and destitution' - U.N. agency
  • Date: 14th December 2021
  • Summary: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - OCTOBER 14, 2021) (Reuters) VARIOUS OF DISPLACED CHILDREN PLAYING
  • Embargoed: 28th December 2021 13:37
  • Keywords: Afghanistan United Nations WFP crisis food humanitarian humger nutrition
  • Location: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • City: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics,United Nations
  • Reuters ID: LVA00BF80GRPJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Almost all Afghans do not have enough to eat, and a failing economy could tip Afghanistan's increasingly dire situation under Taliban rule into catastrophe next year, the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday (December 14).
    WFP surveys showed an estimated 98% of Afghans are not eating enough, with seven in 10 families resorting to borrowing food, which pushes them deeper into poverty, a spokesperson for the agency told reporters.
    The abrupt withdrawal of foreign aid following the Taliban victory in August has left Afghanistan's fragile economy on the brink of collapse, with prices for food, fuel and other basic needs rising rapidly out of reach for many.
    "The spiralling economic crisis, the conflict and drought has meant the average family can now barely cope," WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri told a Geneva briefing. "We have a huge amount to do to stop this crisis from becoming a catastrophe."
    The WFP has provided food assistance to 15 million Afghans so far in 2021, and to 7 million in November alone. Next year, it plans to ramp up its assistance to 23 million people across all provinces in Afghanistan.
    "We cannot waste any moment," Phiri said. "Our country director describes the situation as quite dire. She says it's an avalanche of hunger and destitution."
    Separately, Nada Al-Nashif, U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Afghan families face "severe poverty and hunger" with many pushed into desperate measures, including child labour, early marriage and "even the sale of children."
    (Production: Cecile Mantovani)
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