The United Nations on Tuesday appealed for more than $139 million to support nearly 500,000 people affected by recent earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan, warning that the crisis could worsen with winter approaching.
The funds would cover a four-month emergency plan to aid 457,000 survivors, the UN said. Indrika Ratwatte, deputy head of the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), urged the international community to demonstrate solidarity.
He added that Afghanistan’s resilience has been “tested time and again” and cautioned that each new crisis risks undoing fragile progress made in recent years.
According to UN figures, the quakes killed more than 2,200 people and directly affected around half a million residents in Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces. More than 6,700 homes were destroyed or damaged, with most families losing food stocks and sheltering outdoors in unsafe and temporary conditions.
The UN said damage to health facilities, schools and water systems has compounded the humanitarian emergency.
The proposed funding would allow aid agencies to quickly expand operations in remote mountainous areas ahead of winter, delivering shelter, food, water, education and agricultural support to protect lives and livelihoods.
