According to a UN analysis, between November 2021 and March 2022, more than half of Afghanistan’s population will be experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity.
“The country is currently facing the second drought in four years and the worst of its kind in 27 years,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) said in a situation report. “An estimated 22.8 million people, or 55 per cent of the population, are expected to be in crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC 3+) between November 2021 and March 2022, a nearly 35 per cent increase from the same season last year (16.9m),” the report added.
“Even prior to the events of 15 August, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan was one of the worst in the world. By the mid-year mark, nearly half of the population – some 18.4 million people – were already in need of humanitarian and protection assistance in 2021,” the report further noted.
Reports show isolated clashes and violence
Meanwhile, according to a report by news agency ANI, the UN Secretary-spokeswoman General’s highlighted to reports that isolated conflicts and violence harming people and resulting in casualties continued across the war-torn country this week.
“Our humanitarian colleagues warn that nearly 23 million people — or 55 per cent of the Afghan population — are estimated to be in crisis or experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity between November 2021 and March 2022,” He said.
“Our colleagues tell us that reports of isolated clashes and violence affecting civilians and resulting in casualties continued countrywide this week.”
Issues related to food security
Furthermore, the research stated that food security difficulties were mostly caused by drought, and that even after harvest, as many as 57 percent of households did not have enough food to survive three months.
The situation is also predicted to worsen in 10 of the 11 most populated urban areas, according to the research.
“In urban areas, income loss (driven by economic shocks) has contributed to the rapid deterioration in food insecurity,” the report showed.
“No population group had a net positive income in 2021. Assessments show that more households have higher than average debt this year. This is increasingly concerning as food basket costs are steadily rising, constituting more than 82 per cent of the average HH income,” it further said.
Earlier in October, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) produced a report that reiterated similar dire predictions for the country.
“The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report has found that more than one in two Afghans will be facing crisis (IPC Phase 3) or emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity through the November 2021 to March 2022 lean season, requiring urgent humanitarian interventions to meet basic food needs, protect livelihoods and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe,” the FAO had said.
UN agencies and their partners have reached out to help
Since September, UN agencies and partners have reached 48,383 children through community-based education initiatives, assisted 82,761 people with emergency housing and non-food items, and given food assistance to 4.1 million people.
According to UN News, 580,050 people received primary healthcare, while 85,623 children under the age of five were treated for acute malnutrition.
Even before the events of August 15, the country’s humanitarian situation was one of the worst in the world.
Nearly half of the population, 18.4 million people, were in need of humanitarian and protective aid by the middle of the year.
Civilians’ security and safety hazards, notably for women, children, and individuals with disabilities, were also at all-time highs.
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