Afghanistan, Sept. 5 -- Nearly 4.9 million women and children in Afghanistan are expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition in 2026, as hunger, mass deportations, disease outbreaks and climate-related disasters deepen one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, UNICEF has warned in a new report. The agency says worsening food insecurity and severe funding shortages are placing millions of vulnerable Afghans at increased risk.
UNICEF estimates that 3.7 million children under the age of five and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women will suffer from acute malnutrition this year. The report says child malnutrition has reached critical levels in 12 provinces, with repeated droughts, floods and economic hardship undermining...