The U.N.’s top humanitarian official warned Wednesday that Afghanistan is sinking deeper into crisis as a surge in returning refugees, mounting hunger and dwindling aid resources push millions into increasingly “precarious” conditions.
Briefing the U.N. Security Council, Tom Fletcher said Afghanistan is on track to remain one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies next year.
“Nearly 22 million people will still need humanitarian assistance in 2026 – surpassed only by Sudan and Yemen,” he said as he unveiled the U.N.’s $1.7 billion appeal aimed at reaching 17.5 million people.
With funding stretched thin, Fletcher said the U.N. has been forced to sharply scale back its targets. “We have further hyper-prioritized our plan to reach 3.9 million people in the most urgent need, and for that we require $375.9 million,” he said.
“For the first time in four years, the number of people facing hunger has gone up, now reaching 17.4 million,” Fletcher said, adding that essential services – already insufficient and uneven across the country – are “stretched to breaking point” as Afghan refugees return in record numbers.
