Translated with AI
The intensification of fighting on the Afghan-Pakistan border, as well as the escalation associated with the crisis surrounding Iran, have led to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, according to the UN World Food Programme.
Clashes along the roughly 2,400-kilometer-long border with Pakistan have displaced approximately 20,000 families in Afghanistan's eastern, southeastern, and southern regions.
Ground and air strikes affected more than 30 districts in the provinces of Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, Laghman, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Kandahar, and Helmand. In all these provinces, the World Food Programme was forced to temporarily suspend social assistance, school feeding programs, and livelihood projects.
"You may remember the earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31. Mountain communities in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces—already among the most vulnerable—were hit the hardest, losing family members, homes, and livelihoods. Today, these same communities are once again on the front lines of the crisis, this time amid an escalating conflict with Pakistan," said John Iliffe, World Food Programme Representative in Afghanistan.
According to him, the four affected provinces are experiencing critical levels of acute malnutrition.
Meanwhile, in western Afghanistan, on the border with Iran, an increase in the number of returnees from that country, which has found itself at the center of escalating violence in the Middle East, is expected.
"We already saw a similar surge in returns during the intensification of fighting in June 2025. For many, returning to Afghanistan means not only poverty, unemployment, and hunger, but also instability," Ailiff said.
Said Aziz, a 36-year-old father of four, returned from Iran just a few months ago. There, he earned a modest salary at a factory but was able to support his family.
In Afghanistan, he has no home, no job, and on some days, nothing but bread.
Aziz recently suffered an injury and is currently unable to work, while restrictions imposed in Afghanistan prevent his wife from working. His family now survives on assistance from the World Food Programme.
"His story shows how returnees, already vulnerable, are once again faced with instability, poverty and hunger," Ailiff said.
In 2025, the World Food Programme supported more than half a million Afghan returnees on the borders with Iran and Pakistan. This assistance included cash payments and food for women and children.
In 2025, more than 2.5 million people have already returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan. Even before the escalation, analysts predicted a similar influx in 2026. However, a resumption of hostilities could lead to an even greater influx of refugees, placing an unbearable strain on the humanitarian response system.
Afghanistan remains one of the world's leading famine hotspots. One in three residents—17.4 million people—are in dire need of food aid.
Child malnutrition rates have also reached alarming levels. It is projected that 3.7 million children will require treatment by 2026.
With the crisis looming and funding short, the World Food Programme is unable to help families fleeing Iran and Pakistan, as well as those forced to flee their homes inside Afghanistan due to cross-border conflict.
The organization warns that by April 2026, funds allocated to finance emergency operations will run out, leaving millions of people without support.
The World Food Programme requires $313 million to support its operations in Afghanistan. The organization calls on the international community to fulfill its commitments and allocate the necessary funds.
