UN food agency cuts rations to 2 million Afghans as funds dry up

(Reuters) – The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) is facing a dire situation in Afghanistan, as it had to reduce rations to an additional 2 million Afghans this month. The agency’s country director warns of a potentially catastrophic winter if funding runs out, leaving little to no food for remote communities. The WFP has been struggling with shrinking aid for Afghanistan, as the U.N. humanitarian response plan is currently only about 25% funded, even after the budget was reduced due to funding shortfalls.

The WFP’s funding for food and cash assistance is expected to be depleted by the end of October, forcing the agency to gradually decrease assistance to 10 million Afghans throughout the year. Moreover, the positioning of food supplies to areas that will be cut off during the winter has also been limited. Without adequate funding, 90% of remote areas in need will be left without food, and even accessible locations will not receive supplies during the harsh weather conditions.

“That is the catastrophe that we have to avert,” said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP Afghanistan Country Director, to Reuters.

The situation in Afghanistan is critical, with approximately 75% of the population requiring humanitarian aid. The country is emerging from decades of conflict under a Taliban administration that took over after U.S.-backed foreign forces withdrew in 2021. Development assistance, which used to be a crucial pillar of government finances, has been reduced, and the administration faces sanctions while its central bank assets abroad have been frozen.

The Taliban’s restrictions on women also hinder formal recognition and deter donors, many of whom have shifted their attention to other humanitarian crises. Lee emphasized the importance of focusing on those most in need, stating, “The cost of inaction is ultimately borne and paid for by the most vulnerable and poor mothers and children.”

Approximately 20% of the people assisted by the WFP are women heading households. These women are becoming increasingly desperate due to the restrictions they face and the economic crisis, leaving them with limited earning opportunities. Lee described the WFP as the last lifeline for those without other options, adding, “It’s extremely difficult not only for myself but for our team to have to explain to mothers that we can’t help them.”

Currently, three million people in Afghanistan are receiving food aid, but after October, they may receive nothing. To continue providing food aid and carry out planned projects until March, the WFP requires $1 billion in funding.

For Baba Karim, a 45-year-old resident of Kabul, the cash assistance he received twice this year from the WFP has been crucial to supplement his meager income earned from odd jobs at a local market with a push cart. Karim expressed deep concerns about the future of his children after the assistance has ended, stating, “I lie awake at night worrying about the future of my children.”

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield, additional reporting by Reuters TV; editing by Robert Birsel)