Afghanistan sees unprecedented surge in child malnutrition, WFP says

KABUL: The World Food Program (WFP) has announced that Afghanistan will experience the highest increase in child malnutrition since the beginning of the 21st century in 2025. The WFP on Sunday warned that approximately four million children in Afghanistan are currently facing acute malnutrition and require immediate treatment. John Aylieff, the WFP’s Representative and Country Director for Afghanistan, stated in an interview with Agence France-Presse that without treatment, the lives of thousands of children are at serious risk. He further mentioned that the World Food Program needs about $390 million in immediate funding to provide food for six million people over the next six months. Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health has reported that nearly three million women and children are affected by malnutrition. Additionally, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that Afghanistan will confront one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026.