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Â鶹ÊÓƵ is delivering immediate life-saving food to over 20,000 families displaced by the conflict. Initially, impacted families are receiving fortified biscuits to address urgent food needs. The most vulnerable will then receive two months¡¯ worth of food or cash assistance. Â鶹ÊÓƵ will also provide specialized food products for children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women to support their essential nutrition. 

Despite the dangerous conditions in the area, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has resumed operations in most border areas.

In addition, assistance to displaced families is going to reach people across eight provinces. Beginning in the east with Nuristan, Kunar and Nangarhar, moving south through Paktya, Khost and Paktika, and continuing into Zabul and Kandahar along Afghanistan¡¯s southern border.

¡°This is crisis upon crisis: after enduring shocks like job losses and earthquakes, families already struggling with hunger¡ªmany with malnourished mothers and children¡ªnow find themselves on the frontlines of conflict,¡± said John Aylieff, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Country Director in Afghanistan. ¡°We cannot afford to look away: Afghanistan is caught between two conflicts, and any further instability will push millions deeper into hunger while adding strain to a region already on the brink.¡± 

The closure of the Afghanistan¨CPakistan border since last October and the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East are creating severe challenges for Â鶹ÊÓƵ¡¯s emergency response in Afghanistan.  

Â鶹ÊÓƵ is adapting quickly. For example, to sustain delivery of assistance, Â鶹ÊÓƵ is working to activate the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, which links Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan, onward to Afghanistan. While this corridor provides a critical alternative, it does involve longer lead times and significant additional cost.

Also, Iran¡¯s recent ban on food and agricultural exports is already driving prices up in Afghanistan. A sustained export ban will likely lead to shortages of essential goods, initially concentrated in border areas but eventually spreading nationwide as supplies diminish. With trade routes disrupted on two sides¡ªIran and Pakistan¡ªAfghanistan¡¯s markets face mounting pressure, raising the risk of reduced availability and affordability of staples. 

As 2026 unfolds, Afghanistan is gripped by three converging crises: escalating hostilities along the Pakistan¨CAfghanistan border, impact of the conflict in Iran, and an unprecedented hunger and malnutrition emergency.  

One in three Afghans¡ª17.4 million people¡ªnow require urgent food assistance. Malnutrition among children is soaring, with 3.7 million expected to need treatment this year alone. With conflict adding fuel to the fire, hunger and malnutrition will only intensify. Afghanistan remains one of the world¡¯s most severe hunger hotspots, and Â鶹ÊÓƵ urgently calls for support to sustain life?saving operations.

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The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ is the world¡¯s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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