Over Half of Afghanistan Faces Acute Hunger as Crisis Deepens
Over Half of Afghanistan Faces Acute Hunger as Crisis Deepens
(Bloomberg) -- More than half of Afghanistan’s population will face acute hunger from next month as a deepening economic crisis compounds the impact of drought, conflict and Covid-19, according to a United Nations report.
The 22.8 million people at risk is the highest in the 10 years since the data was compiled, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday. It’s 37% higher than the previous assessment in April, before the Taliban took power.
Widespread unemployment and a liquidity crisis mean that major cities will face emergency levels of food insecurity, the FAO said. The humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan is raising concerns about a potential mass exodus of refugees into neighboring countries like Pakistan.
Leaders of the world’s top economies failed to agree on how to deal with the Taliban at an extraordinary summit earlier this month, pledging only to channel aid through the UN. The Taliban swept to power in August after fighting a 20-year war to eliminate foreign soldiers from Afghanistan.
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