Norwegian Refugee Council: Return of Migrants Has Worsened Afghanistan’s Food Crisis

Kabul : The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said that the forced return of tens of thousands of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, combined with severe droughts and recent earthquakes, has further aggravated Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.

In a report released on Saturday, December 13, the council said that about 17.4 million people, nearly 36 percent of the country’s population, are facing acute food insecurity, with many families unable to meet their most basic living needs.

The NRC added that the large-scale return of migrants to areas already struggling with extreme poverty and vulnerability has placed immense pressure on scarce local resources, putting the lives of millions at risk.

The council also warned that successive droughts and recent devastating earthquakes in eastern and northern Afghanistan have destroyed people’s assets and agricultural land, further weakening their economic capacity.

Emphasizing the approach of winter, the Norwegian Refugee Council called on the international community to deliver urgent assistance to Afghanistan to prevent widespread hunger.