Millions In Afghanistan Face Hunger As International Aid Cuts Deepen Crisis

Millions of Afghans are confronting severe hunger as international aid cuts deepen an ongoing humanitarian crisis, Associated Press reported. The country faces a combination of economic collapse, recurrent droughts, two deadly earthquakes, and a surge of returning refugees from neighbouring countries, straining already limited resources.

For 10 hours each day, Rahimullah sells socks from a cart in eastern Kabul, earning around $4.5 to $6 – barely enough to feed his family of five. “The assistance was helping me a lot,” said the 29-year-old former Afghan Army soldier, who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban took power in 2021 and was deported back two years later. “Now I don't have enough money to live on. God forbid, if I were to face a serious illness or any other problem, it would be very difficult for me to handle because I don't have any extra money for expenses,” he added.

Rahimullah, like millions of other Afghans, relies on humanitarian support from both the Afghan authorities and international organisations. Yet severe cuts in aid, including the halting of U.S. contributions to United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) food distribution, have removed a crucial lifeline. According to Associated Press, more than 17 million people now face crisis-level hunger this winter – three million more than the previous year.

The International Committee of the Red Cross reported on 22 December 2025 that an estimated 22.9 million Afghans – nearly half the population – required humanitarian aid in 2025.

Tom Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, told the Security Council in mid-December that the situation was worsened by “overlapping shocks,” including earthquakes and rising restrictions on humanitarian access. He warned that while almost 22 million Afghans will need U.N. assistance in 2026, the organisation can only focus on 3.9 million facing the most urgent, life-threatening conditions due to reduced donor funding.

“This winter is the first in years with almost no international food distribution,” Fletcher said. “As a result, only about 1 million of the most vulnerable people have received food assistance during the lean season in 2025,” compared with 5.6 million the previous year. He added that aid organisations have been forced to cut thousands of jobs and reduce spending amid funding shortfalls.

The return of millions of refugees has added further pressure. According to a statement from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs, reported Associated Press, 7.1 million Afghan refugees have returned over the last four years. Rising demand has driven up rents, leaving Rahimullah unable to pay the new 8,000-afghani rent for his small two-room home, up from 4,500 afghanis. “Even if we find money for flour, we don't have it for oil, and even if we find it for oil, we can't pay the rent. And then there is the extra electricity bill,” he said.

Restrictions on women’s employment under the Taliban have also worsened economic strain. Rahimullah’s wife, formerly a teacher, is now unemployed.

In northern Badakhshan province, Sherin Gul, 23, struggles to feed her family of 12. “There are 12 of us... and one person working cannot cover the expenses,” she said. Gul relies on occasional charity and sporadic work from her eldest son, yet food is often scarce. “There have been times when we have nothing to eat at night, and my little children have fallen asleep without food. I have only given them green tea, and they have fallen asleep crying,” she said.

Before the Taliban’s rise, Gul earned a living as a cleaner, enough to support her family, but the ban on women working has left her unemployed. She said the harsh winter, combined with costs for firewood and charcoal, adds to the family’s burden. “If this situation continues like this, we may face severe hunger. And then it will be very difficult for us to survive in this cold weather,” she said.

According to Associated Press, the convergence of economic collapse, aid cuts, environmental disasters, and the return of refugees is creating one of Afghanistan’s most severe humanitarian crises in recent years, leaving millions dependent on dwindling assistance for survival.

(With inputs from AP)