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Severe flooding in Afghanistan hunger hotspots set to worsen, warns WFP
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned Tuesday that the devastating floods that struck the northeastern and northwestern regions of Afghanistan in the past two weeks are likely to intensify in the coming months, resulting in a significant impact on food security.
According to a statement issued by the UN agency, the floods have so far affected over 80,000 people.
WFP also noted that most of the affected districts are “hunger hotspots” and are already facing crisis levels of food insecurity.
The worsening climate crisis has led to erratic weather patterns, which have become the norm across the country, WFP warned.
Unusually high rainfall, which followed a dry winter that left the ground too hard to absorb rain, led to massive floods earlier this month.
This was further compounded by unseasonably warm temperatures that melted mountain snow, swelling rivers that then swept through villages, burying them under mud.
“With one disaster after another hitting these communities, they’re being pushed back into destitution,” said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP Afghanistan’s Country Director.
“Recent improvements in food security in Afghanistan now risk being lost,” said Hsiao-Wei adding that “these families need emergency assistance to survive, and in the longer term, they need investments in community infrastructure that help protect their homes, lands and livelihoods.”
WFP has meanwhile been hard at work providing affected people with fortified biscuits and children with nutritional supplements. Working with local bakeries, WFP also distributed bread to communities most hard hit.
By the end of last week, WFP started giving food rations to people in the affected districts, and providing cash assistance where markets were still functional.
But as the climate crisis worsens, the losses from flooding are expected to increase every year, WFP warned.
The floods come after years of drought that impacted most of the country.
WFP is investing in climate adaptation projects designed and built by communities to shield them from the impacts of the climate crisis. These include protective walls, dams and irrigation canals.
During the Baghlan flood almost two weeks ago, a WFP-supported protection wall safeguarded 670 families and 400 acres of agricultural land.
However, for the flood response, WFP needs an additional US$14.5 million to cover emergency food and nutrition assistance and resilience building projects.
During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, India and Russia issued a joint statement highlighting their close coordination on Afghanistan. Both sides appreciated the ongoing dialogue between their respective Security Councils and underscored the significance of the Moscow Format meetings in promoting regional stability.
The leaders welcomed counter-terrorism efforts targeting international terrorist groups, including ISIS, ISKP, and their affiliates, expressing confidence in a comprehensive and effective approach to combating terrorism in Afghanistan. They also stressed the urgent need to ensure uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
India and Russia have maintained close ties on regional security, particularly concerning developments in Afghanistan following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021. The Moscow Format, a diplomatic platform including Afghanistan’s neighbors, has played a key role in facilitating dialogue on peace, stability, and counter-terrorism in the region.
Five civilians were killed and five others wounded in firing by Pakistani troops on Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province late on Friday, sources told Ariana News.
The attack comes two days after a new round of peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan reportedly ended without a breakthrough, though both sides agreed to continue their fragile ceasefire.
The recent talks in Saudi Arabia were the latest in a series of meetings hosted by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia aimed at easing tensions after deadly clashes near the Durand Line in October. Dozens were killed in the clashes in October.
Islamabad claims that Afghanistan-based militants carried out the recent attacks in Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations, saying it cannot be held responsible for security inside Pakistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said Afghan forces had responded to the recent Pakistani attacks.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi says both Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sadyr Japarov, the President of Kyrgyzstan, who visited Islamabad on Thursday, expressed their mutual commitment to a peaceful, stable Afghanistan with a sustainable future for the Afghan people.
Speaking in a press conference on Friday, Andrabi stated that both sides agreed that the Islamic Emirate must fulfill its obligations toward the international community and take concrete steps against terrorist groups to address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns.
This comes while the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly emphasized that no terrorist groups operate from Afghan territory and that it will not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against any country.
The Islamic Emirate has also stated that Pakistan’s security concerns are an internal issue of that country, and Pakistan itself must take measures to prevent any security incidents.
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