Norway warns about the risk of starvation for 16 million Afghans in winter
The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that nearly 16 million Afghans do not have enough food and the hunger crisis will intensify in winter.
The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that nearly 16 million Afghans do not have enough food and the hunger crisis will intensify in winter.
According to Ambassador Arjan, Jan Eglund, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, warned that nearly 16 million people in Afghanistan do not have access to enough food and that one-third of the country's population will face hunger in the coming winter.
He wrote on X social network that at least two million more people have been added to the number of people who do not have access to enough food this year. This figure was about 14 million people last year and its increase continues.
The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council considered inflation, widespread unemployment, climate change and the reduction of humanitarian aid among the factors that exacerbate the hunger crisis in Afghanistan and warned that without immediate attention, the number of people in need will increase.
Referring to his recent meeting with mothers in Kabul and Kandahar, Eglund said that they talked about their inability to provide enough food for their children and were worried about the coming of winter and continued hunger.
He described the current situation as a consequence of the decrease in international attention and support for Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban to power, and said that humanitarian programs in this country are facing a severe lack of funds.
The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council also called for an immediate increase in donors' financial aid and emphasized that women and children recently deported from Iran and Pakistan need urgent humanitarian aid.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Program have also announced that about 19.2 million people, equivalent to 38% of Afghanistan's population, will face high levels of acute food insecurity in the coming winter. This statistic shows the extent of the food crisis in Afghanistan and the increased need for humanitarian aid.