Durand Line closure, Iran conflict worsening hunger crisis in Afghanistan: UN

The United Nations says nearly one million additional Afghan children at risk of malnutrition could have received food assistance if tensions with Pakistan and the war involving Iran had not sharply increased transport costs and disrupted supply routes.

Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Programme, told AFP that Afghanistan is facing an escalating nutrition emergency, with malnutrition cases reaching record levels in 2025.

“It is a nutrition crisis here in Afghanistan,” Skau said, adding that the rise in malnutrition this year is even worse than last year’s unprecedented surge.

According to WFP estimates released in January, around five million Afghan women and children are expected to suffer life-threatening malnutrition this year.

The crisis has been compounded by a near-total closure of the Durand Lin for eight months, as well as the broader economic fallout from the conflict involving Iran. The disruptions have driven up food and fuel prices and affected supply chains.

“If we weren’t struggling with the supply chain, both delays and costs, we would be able to feed a million more children here in Afghanistan,” Skau said.

He cited the example of thousands of tons of fortified biscuits intended for Afghan schoolchildren that were originally scheduled to enter Afghanistan through Pakistan. After the Durand Line closure, the supplies were rerouted through Dubai and Iran, but renewed regional conflict forced another diversion through several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Georgia and Turkmenistan.

“It’s about to arrive this week, but it’s taken… months. It cost us way more,” Skau said.

The WFP has also struggled to secure funding for Afghanistan, receiving only eight percent of its targeted budget for this year.