Millions facing acute food insecurity in Afghanistan: UN

The number of people facing acute food insecurity in Afghanistan this winter is on the rise, and now stands at more than 17 million, the United Nations warned.

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Economic woes, recurrent drought, shrinking international aid and and influx of Afghans returning home from countries like neighboring Iran and Pakistan have strained resources and added to the pressures on food security, reports the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, known as IPC, which tracks hunger crises.

“The situation is getting worse, and we need to act now as Afghanistan is entering the winter period where needs are highest,” said Jean-Martin Bauer, director of food security and nutrition analysis at the UN's World Food Programme (WFP).

More than 17 million people are facing acute food insecurity: “three million more than last year,” he told a press briefing in Geneva.

Furthermore, “there are almost four million children in a situation of acute malnutrition,” he said.

Speaking from WFP's Rome headquarters, Bauer said the situation was down to a combination of factors, including drought affecting crops and livestock, earthquakes that have plunged many families into poverty, and cuts in international aid.