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Over 21 million Afghans need humanitarian aid in 2026: OCHA
The agency called on the international community to sustain and strengthen humanitarian support to prevent further deterioration and protect vulnerable communities across the country.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said nearly half of Afghanistan’s population—about 21.9 million people—will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, warning that the country remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
In its 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), released Tuesday, OCHA said the projected figure represents around 45 percent of the population. Humanitarian agencies aim to assist 17.5 million people next year, with funding requirements estimated at $1.71 billion.
In a statement posted on X, OCHA Afghanistan said that while overall humanitarian needs have slightly declined compared with previous years, conditions remain severe. The agency cited prolonged conflict, economic fragility, limited access to basic services, and the erosion of rights as major factors undermining people’s ability to cope.
OCHA said the crisis is being further compounded by worsening food insecurity, large-scale cross-border returns, climate-driven droughts, recurring natural disasters, and the systematic exclusion of women and girls from public life.
The agency called on the international community to sustain and strengthen humanitarian support to prevent further deterioration and protect vulnerable communities across the country.
The warning comes as the United States announced a $2 billion pledge for United Nations humanitarian programs on Tuesday, saying future funding would be conditional and limited to 17 countries, including Haiti, Syria, and Sudan. Afghanistan and Yemen were excluded.
U.S. officials said Washington has evidence that UN funds in Afghanistan were diverted to the Islamic Emirate and stressed that U.S. taxpayer money would not be allowed to reach designated terrorist groups.
Humanitarian organizations have warned that the funding restrictions could deepen a global aid shortfall, already forcing the closure of maternal and child health clinics in Afghanistan and cuts to food assistance for displaced populations elsewhere. The United Nations has warned that global child mortality rates could rise after years of decline.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday sharply criticized the military withdrawal from Afghanistan carried out under the Joe Biden administration, saying it “looked like running.”
Speaking to active-duty soldiers at Fort Bragg Army Base in North Carolina, Trump said the withdrawal left behind U.S. military equipment and tarnished America’s image.
“We wouldn’t have left anything. We would have left with dignity, strength and respect. We looked like we were running. We don’t run from anybody,” Trump said. “That was a Biden embarrassment. What a terrible president.”
Trump’s remarks reiterate his ongoing criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of Afghanistan, particularly the chaotic final days of the U.S. military presence.
Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, reaffirmed on X that the Trump administration is actively pressing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to release American detainees.
“President Trump has made it clear that the Taliban (IEA) must cease their hostage-taking, or there will be consequences,” Gorka said. “We will not rest until Dennis Coyle and Mahmood Habibi come home.”
The IEA has denied detaining Habibi, who formerly served as head of Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority.
Over the past year, five American detainees have been released from Afghanistan. According to the New York Times, the IEA has demanded the release of the last Afghan prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for freeing two American detainees in Afghanistan.
Former Pakistani diplomats, speaking at a roundtable discussion in Islamabad, underscored the importance of sustained dialogue with Afghanistan to address bilateral differences.
The discussion, organized on Friday by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, highlighted that the current situation in Afghanistan has direct consequences for regional security and stability. Participants stressed that constructive engagement and regular communication are the only viable pathways to resolving existing challenges.
The former diplomats pointed out that relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are deeply interconnected, and any strain between the two sides inevitably impacts the wider region.
They further emphasized that building trust, enhancing practical cooperation, and fostering mutual understanding are essential prerequisites for achieving lasting regional stability.
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