The World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Sunday that humanitarian aid flights to Afghanistan’s most inaccessible areas may be suspended due to a severe funding shortfall. The United Nations agency stated it requires $10.5 million to maintain these flights throughout 2025.
The WFP has faced significant financial challenges, particularly following the suspension of aid from the United States. Last year, the US provided $4.5 billion of the WFP’s $9.8 billion total budget.
The agency supplies food and cash assistance to those suffering from hunger caused by crop failures, conflict, and climate change.
According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 23 million Afghans are currently in need of humanitarian assistance.
Previously, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also warned that with the return of approximately 5,000 migrants each week, millions of people in Afghanistan are facing worsening poverty, homelessness, and severe humanitarian conditions.
The Taliban has declared the enforcement of a Sharia-based system in Afghanistan a major success, as the group commemorates the anniversaries of two pivotal events in the country’s history.
In a statement, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the coup of the 7th of Saur (27 April) in 1978, calling it a “communist assault” on Afghanistan’s sovereignty. He hailed the 8th of Saur (28 April) as a “historic day of freedom and a great divine blessing,” noting that it symbolises the nation’s liberation and independence.
Mujahid stated that the anniversaries are being observed at a time when the Taliban has achieved its objectives of “restoring the country’s independence, fostering unity and solidarity, eliminating chaos, and enforcing a Sharia-based system.”
The statement reads: “The Islamic Emirate condemns the coup of the 7th of Saur and the communists’ assault on our sacred domain, and considers the 8th of Saur a historic day of the nation’s freedom and pride, a great divine blessing for which we must offer gratitude.”
The coup on 27 April 1978, led by the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan against President Mohammad Daoud Khan, resulted in Nur Muhammad Taraki seizing power. The establishment of a communist regime subsequently led to the Soviet invasion, igniting years of resistance from Islamist political groups.
Ultimately, on 28 April 1992, the Soviet-backed government collapsed, and the Mujahideen assumed control of Afghanistan.
Marking the two anniversaries, the Taliban emphasised the necessity of “strongly protecting the Sharia system” in the country.
A group of retired government employees gathered on Saturday outside the main pension office in Kabul, once again calling on the Taliban authorities to pay their long-overdue pensions.
In a message sent to Afghanistan International, the retirees emphasised that they are not asking for charity, but demanding the rightful payment of their salaries.
In a video message, one retiree said that Kabul’s retired employees have been gathering daily for the past four years outside the pension office to demand their payments. He noted that the Taliban had made repeated promises but had failed to fulfil them.
He stressed that pension payments are a basic right, deducted from their wages during their years of service.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, the payment of pensions to retired government employees has been suspended and has yet to be resumed.
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, issued a decree in late December 2024 ordering the establishment of special courts to address pension cases and calling for the payments to be made. However, four months after the decree, the issue remains unresolved.
The retirees accuse the Taliban of dishonesty and breaking their promises, saying that if the group had genuinely intended to pay the pensions, they would have taken action in the nearly four years since their takeover.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has announced that reductions in US aid have deprived at least 300,000 Afghan children of access to education.
The aid cuts have also halted access for 700,000 Afghans to healthcare, vaccinations, malnutrition treatment, clean water, and protection services.
In a report published on Saturday, the IRC stated that the decrease in US assistance has severely impacted the organisation’s critical programmes for Afghan citizens. Among the disruptions, the treatment of 15,000 children suffering from malnutrition has been interrupted.
Thousands of vulnerable Afghans have been cut off from essential services following the suspension of IRC programmes due to funding reductions.
The decline in US aid has led to the shutdown of numerous humanitarian initiatives across Afghanistan, significantly worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.
The IRC emphasised that Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian emergency, with more than 22.9 million people urgently needing assistance. It warned that the prolonged economic collapse and ongoing environmental challenges have plunged millions into poverty and hardship.
The aid agency further warned that US funding cuts have had devastating effects on vulnerable groups, particularly the three million children and 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women suffering from acute malnutrition.
The Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls have eliminated the income of many female-headed households, greatly increasing the risk of hunger and malnutrition.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 23 million Afghans are currently in need of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that around 15 million Afghans are unsure where their next meal will come from.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan has declared that “terrorist activities” threatening Pakistan’s security continue to emanate from Afghan soil.
Speaking at a military graduation ceremony in Islamabad on Saturday, Sharif stated that peaceful coexistence would not be possible as long as insurgents and extremists use Afghanistan as a base to operate against Pakistan.
Sharif emphasised that Pakistan had taken serious measures on several occasions and had attempted to engage with the Taliban leadership regarding the issue.
He added that Pakistan had conveyed a clear and firm message to the Taliban authorities in Kabul, stressing that while Pakistan desired peaceful relations and good neighbourliness with Afghanistan, achieving this objective would not be possible while militants continued to launch attacks from Afghan territory.
The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to countering security threats and safeguarding its territorial integrity. He stressed that Islamabad has consistently sought peace and stability in the region but would not allow threats to persist from the territory of neighbouring countries.
Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have escalated sharply in recent months amid a surge in security incidents within Pakistan.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of providing shelter to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants inside Afghanistan, from where they allegedly launch attacks into Pakistani territory.
The Taliban have strongly rejected these accusations, calling them “baseless.” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has insisted that Afghanistan does not allow its soil to be used against other countries, and asserted that Pakistan’s internal security is its own responsibility.
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has appointed Mullah Sher Mohammad Sharif as the new governor of Zabul province under a new decree. Sharif previously served as the General Director of Border Police at the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior.
Mawlawi Hezbullah Afghan, the former governor of Zabul, has now replaced Sharif as the General Director of Border Police within the Ministry of Interior.
These are not the only changes within the Ministry of Interior, which operates under the leadership of Sirajuddin Haqqani.
Mullah Jan Mohammad Hamza, the former police chief of Takhar province, has been dismissed from his post and appointed as the Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock in Kabul. Mawlawi Obaidullah, who previously held that position, has now been assigned as the head of the Directorate of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Balkh province.
Additionally, Mawlawi Saifullah, formerly the head of intelligence in Sar-e-Pul province, has been appointed as the commissioner of Hairatan Port in Balkh. Mawlawi Hussainullah Zahid, who previously served as the commissioner of Hairatan Port, has been appointed as the district governor of Aqcha in Jowzjan province.
Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, announced these latest structural changes within the group’s administration on Saturday, 26 April.
The decrees issued by Hibatullah Akhundzada demonstrate that key appointments within Taliban ministries including the Ministry of Interior are made directly by the Taliban leader, significantly limiting the influence of ministers based in Kabul.
Haqqani Pushes for Greater Role in Appointments
In March, sources from Kandahar told Afghanistan International that Sirajuddin Haqqani, during a meeting with Akhundzada, requested the formation of a commission to oversee appointments within the security sector.
Prior to attending this meeting, Haqqani had reportedly been absent from leadership gatherings for at least two months.
Sources indicate that Akhundzada rejected Haqqani’s proposal to establish a commission led by Haqqani himself, alongside Yaqub Mujahid, Minister of Defence, and Abdul Haq Wasiq, Chief of Intelligence.
According to these sources, during the meeting, Akhundzada emphasised: “I will not compromise on anything. I am the Emir, and my decision must be accepted.”