Afghanistan’s hunger crisis deepens as child malnutrition claims more lives

Ghulam Mohiddin and his wife Nazo walked through a graveyard outside Herat, where their three young sons are buried, the latest victims of Afghanistan’s worsening hunger crisis. Rahmat, 1; Koatan, 7 months; and Faisal Ahmad, 3 months, all died of malnutrition in the past two years. The couple, who scrape by by breaking walnut shells in the Sheidaee settlement, say they have received no help from the Taliban government or from aid groups. "Can you imagine how painful it's been for me to lose three children? One minute there's a baby in your arms, the next minute they are empty," Nazo told reporters. "I hope every day that angels would somehow put my babies back in our home."

The deaths in Sheidaee reflect a broader, escalating malnutrition emergency in Afghanistan, described by the United Nations as an unprecedented hunger crisis. World Food Programme country director John Aylieff said the country began the year with the largest rise in child malnutrition ever recorded and that food assistance had kept a lid on hunger for millions who cannot cope without international support. He warned that the “lid” has now been lifted as aid has declined sharply since the United States cut nearly all assistance and as eight or nine other donors reduced funding. He added that the situation now endangers more than three million children.

Donor funding has fallen for a mix of reasons, including competing crises around the world and the Taliban’s policies. Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s political chief in Doha, told the BBC that malnutrition is driven by sanctions and aid cuts, not government policy, and that the regime is expanding its own assistance within its means. He said the government remains constrained by a budget based on internal revenues amid continuing sanctions. These positions complicate international decisions about sanctions relief and recognition, even as aid agencies warn that life-saving relief is at risk if funding does not resume.

Two-thirds of the graves in the Sheidaee cemetery are children, villagers told reporters, underscoring how the hunger crisis has struck Afghan families across the board. The graveyard is relatively new, dating to the past two to three years, and is not dedicated to children alone. In Sheidaee, families continue to pull their children close, while many struggle for enough to eat. The UN notes that nearly half of Afghan children under five are stunted, a reflection of chronic poverty and limited access to nutritious food.

Hanifa Sayedi’s one-year-old son Rafiullah is among the many malnourished children. In the family’s mud-and-clay home, Hanifa says they rely on bread soaked in tea because it is one of the few calories they can afford. She has two other children and says some days they do not eat at all. To help her child sleep, she shows reporters two strips of medicines: Lorazepam and Propanolol, which doctors warn can damage a child’s heart, kidneys and liver when given to young children and can be life-threatening if used for long periods. The pills cost about 10 Afghanis, roughly the price of a single slice of bread.

WFP staff note that the crisis has pushed more families into severe acute malnutrition and that women in particular have reported existential distress. The agency has a dedicated hotline, but staff say calls have intensified as people fear they cannot feed their children. "We’ve retrained our call operators because we’re getting a much higher proportion of calls from women threatening suicide because they’re desperate and don’t know how to feed their children any more," said John Aylieff.

In Badakhshan’s regional hospital, 26 children filled the malnutrition ward at the time of a BBC visit. Three-month-old Sana was the youngest patient, battling malnutrition, acute diarrhoea and a cleft lip. Zamira, Sana’s mother, said her first child had died when she was 20 days old. Sana’s hands and feet turned blue as a nurse placed her on oxygen. Nearby, five-month-old Musleha had malnutrition and measles, and twins Mutehara and Maziyan were underweight and also ill with measles. The scene underscored the severity of the crisis as hospitals report crowded wards and limited resources.

A week after the visit, hospital staff confirmed that Sana, Musleha and Mutehara had died. The losses highlight a broader pattern: the worst malnutrition wave Afghanistan has seen in years, with hospitals reporting rising admissions as funding dwindles and life-saving food and medical supplies become scarce. WFP officials say humanitarian funding will run out in November, and, without a new infusion of funds, malnourished women and children will begin to be turned away from health centers.

With winter approaching, aid officials warn that the situation could deteriorate further if funding does not resume. The scale of the losses—the deaths of several babies in a single ward within days—illustrates the urgency for renewed international engagement and sustained humanitarian assistance to prevent more families from losing children to hunger.