Western aid cuts deepen Afghanistan’s hunger crisis

Western sanctions deepen Afghanistan’s poverty as aid agencies warn of ‘death sentence’ cuts.

KABUL, Afghanistan (MNTV) — The World Food Program (WFP) has sounded the alarm over rapidly declining international aid, warning that women and children in Afghanistan are being pushed toward starvation amid worsening poverty and funding cuts from key Western donors, especially the United States.

In a video shared Thursday, April 10, on its official platform X, the WFP revealed that approximately 650,000 mothers and children in Afghanistan have already lost access to critical nutritional support due to a lack of donor funds. The agency expressed particular concern about the long-term health and survival of the most vulnerable populations.

According to Khaama Press, this warning follows Washington’s decision to suspend food aid to Afghanistan, citing fears that the ruling Taliban could divert or manipulate humanitarian assistance. 

The United States, along with other Western nations, continues to withhold formal recognition of the Taliban government, more than two years after it regained control in 2021. This non-recognition has contributed to continued sanctions, frozen foreign reserves, and restricted access to global financial systems, effectively blocking the country’s economic recovery.

Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the WFP, warned that these funding cuts amount to a “death sentence” for millions. “We are being forced to make impossible choices about who gets to eat,” she said. “Women and children are paying the highest price.”

The humanitarian fallout from these political decisions is stark. According to the United Nations, nearly 19 million Afghans are currently food insecure. Over 90% of the population lives below the poverty line, with women and children disproportionately impacted due to gender-based restrictions and barriers to employment.

The World Bank has also warned that Afghanistan’s economy is in free fall. Per capita income has plummeted, unemployment is soaring, and inflation continues to erode families’ ability to afford food and basic necessities. The country’s central bank remains cut off from over $7 billion in foreign reserves, largely held in the United States and Europe.

With donor pledges shrinking, the WFP and other agencies have had to scale back operations, prioritizing only the most desperate cases. The long-term impact, aid groups warn, could include irreversible damage to children’s health, rising mortality rates, and a collapse of community support systems.