The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced that an estimated 3.7 million children under the age of five in Afghanistan are expected to suffer from malnutrition in 2026, with nearly 922,000 of them facing severe malnutrition.
The organization reported on Monday, August 17, that alongside children, around 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are also expected to face severe malnutrition this year.
According to the report, the nutritional situation has deteriorated in several provinces, with Faryab and Paktika expected to face critical levels of severe malnutrition.
UNICEF said that border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan in February affected the provision of nutrition services in the eastern provinces.
Following the clashes, 16 nutrition centers temporarily suspended their operations, leaving more than 1,000 children and 200 pregnant and breastfeeding women without access to treatment services.
The organization added that since April, shortages of supplementary food and disruptions in the supply of ready-to-use therapeutic food have resulted in a decline in the admission of children suffering from malnutrition to treatment programs.
