People near the border with Pakistan in Nangarhar Province live in a state of fear because of an upsurge in violence in the area. Yet food in the province has been running low as well, primarily due to ongoing drought. The Taliban was able to take the area during a flare-up in fighting, killing, abducting and displacing many. According to the United Nations, the disease is spreading and increasing the risk of famine in the area, where 1.8 million people are at risk of dying from starvation.
In a report issued on Thursday, the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, said that drought, insecurity and military operations have caused severe problems in this largely rural region of Afghanistan. Almost 60 percent of the people are highly malnourished; with one person dying from starvation every five minutes.
Significant risk for deadly hunger https://t.co/AFVhc1NzDO pic.twitter.com/ikT5u2oLSQ — UNICEF Afghanistan (@UNICEF_Afghanistan) April 26, 2018
According to UNICEF, “if urgent funding is not provided, child mortality could increase dramatically in the coming months.”