In the streets of eastern Kabul, Afghan vendor Rahimullah spends nearly 10 hours a day selling socks from his cart, earning just $4.50 to $6 daily, barely enough to feed his family of five.
He is one of millions of Afghans reliant on humanitarian aid to survive.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, about 22.9 million Afghans, nearly half the population, required humanitarian assistance in 2025.
Yet, drastic reductions in international aid, including cuts to US contributions and United Nations World Food Program (WFP) initiatives, have severely restricted access to vital support.
The WFP recently warned that over 17 million Afghans face acute food insecurity this winter, an increase of 3 million from the previous year.
This comes amid Afghanistan’s ongoing economic collapse, recurring droughts, destructive earthquakes, and a surge of Afghan refugees returning from countries like Iran and Pakistan. These overlapping crises have stretched resources thin, particularly food and housing.
UN humanitarian coordinator Tom Fletcher addressed the Security Council in mid-December, highlighting the worsening situation due to these “interlocking shocks,” which include natural disasters and mounting restrictions on humanitarian access and personnel.
Fletcher projected that approximately 22 million Afghans will need UN assistance in 2026, with urgent aid required for 3.9 million people at immediate risk.
He noted that this winter marks the first in years almost entirely without international food distribution. In 2025, only one million of the most vulnerable Afghans received emergency food aid during the drought, compared to 5.6 million the previous year.
Without renewed international support, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan risks escalating further, leaving millions at the brink of starvation.
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