WFP: $27.5m urgently needed to support returnees

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): The World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan says won’t be able to continue its support for families arriving from Pak­istan with nothing but a few basic morsels.

WFP Country Director Hsiao-Wei Lee said on Friday the UN agency being critically underfunded was forced to cut 10 million people from its emergency food assistance,

In a statement, she said as winter approached, WFP could only support one in five of those Afghans in need of support to survive.

Lee warned” “The situation is particularly dire as the harsh winter is only weeks away and the country is still reeling from devastating earthquakes, a battered economy and a worsening climate crisis.”

The statement said WFP continued to supply all returning families with fortified biscuits and cash to buy food or other basic necessities.

It has assisted 250,000 people in November, according to Lee, who said:  “We urgently need $27.5 million to support one million returnees from Pakistan arriving in Afghanistan and help them get through the winter.”

Around 720,000 undocumented individuals and 50,000 opting for voluntary repatriation are expected may need support at crossing points till July 2024.

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