The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, warns that about 1 million Afghan children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and are at risk of dying without immediate treatment. The agency says the risk is especially urgent for very young children. France 24 reports that nearly 40% of admissions to hospitals involve babies under six months old.
UNICEF also states that around 3.7 million Afghan children suffer from wasting, meaning they are acutely malnourished. Euronews and multiple outlets describe this as part of a worsening hunger crisis. They point to Afghanistan’s history of recurring hunger emergencies, linked to decades of instability and conflict.
Different articles emphasize different drivers of the crisis. Free Malaysia Today highlights that funding cuts lead to the closure of more than 100 child malnutrition sites. NDTV links worsening conditions to Afghanistan’s economic collapse following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, while other outlets focus more on the scale of malnutrition and the urgency of treatment.
