The United Nations has warned that about 200,000 additional Afghan children are expected to suffer acute malnutrition this year as foreign aid declines and tensions escalate along the border with Pakistan.
John Aylieff, head of the World Food Programme in Afghanistan, said 3.7 million Afghan children are projected to require treatment for malnutrition in 2026.
Speaking at a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, Aylieff said acute malnutrition among children is rising rapidly. Funding cuts, he said, have left the WFP able to treat only one in four children in need.
He said some children are unable to reach health clinics, while others are stranded in remote mountainous areas because of heavy snowfall.
Aylieff said most child deaths in Afghanistan occur quietly at home during the winter. He warned that when snow melts in late March or April, it may reveal that child mortality in rural areas has been far higher than expected.
He added that deportation policies in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan have led to the return of more than 5 million people to Afghanistan since late 2023, placing further strain on limited resources.
Many returnees have settled near areas of recent clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces, forcing the World Food Programme to suspend some services. Aylieff warned that acute malnutrition is likely to worsen as fighting disrupts access to health care, putting tens of thousands of children at risk.
