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Afghans facing 'hell on earth' - 29th November 2021

As winter draws closer, people in Afghanistan face “hell on earth” according to the head of the World Food Programme, David Beasley.

Over half the population, some 22.8 million people, are confronting severe food insecurity, with 3.2 million children facing acute malnutrition.

Farmers have been hit by a devastating drought, the worst in 27 years, while the national currency, the afghani, has dropped to an all-time low against the dollar, driving up the prices of imports. Wheat flour prices have spiked 31 percent and fuel 27 percent in the last 5 months alone.

David Beasley is extremely concerned by the situation, "It is as bad as you possibly can imagine," he said. "In fact, we're now looking at the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth. 95 percent of the people don't have enough food, and now we're looking at 23 million people marching towards starvation," he added. "The next six months are going to be catastrophic. It is going to be hell on Earth."

Before the Taliban overthrew President Ashraf Ghani in August, there had been expectations that the country could cope with the threat of a bad winter, with the help of other countries. However, opinions changed when Mr Ghani's government collapsed.

Western countries have now cut off aid, reluctant to support a regime that bars girls from education and is in favour of reintroducing Sharia punishments.

Beasley is challenging the governments and the billionaires of the developed world to help, "Imagine that this was your little girl or your little boy, or your grandchild about to starve to death." He went on to state, "We let any child die from hunger. Shame on us. I don't care where that child is."