Attachments
In Numbers
12.4 million people are projected to be acutely foodinsecure between May and October 2024, including 2.4 million people in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 4 (emergency).
3.9 million people are acutely malnourished, including 2.8 million children under the age of 5.
23.7 million people require humanitarian assistance in 2024.
Highlights
The de-facto authorities (DFA) ratified the “Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice” in August with 35 articles imposing severe restrictions on personal conduct and freedoms. The rules range from i) requiring women to cover their faces and bodies and be accompanied by a male guardian outside the home; ii) banning music; and iii) requiring men to grow beards. The law gives the DFA with wide-ranging powers of enforcement. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan raised concerns over the new law and sought clarification from the DFA on several articles and plans for enforcement. So far, WFP has not experienced any impact on its operations but continues to monitor the situation.
Situation Update
• With the unprecedented levels of humanitarian assistance, widespread catastrophe has been narrowly averted in Afghanistan. While marginal improvement in food security is continuously observed, 12.4 million people still experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). Poverty impacts one out of every two Afghans. Difficulties in agriculture brought on by the irregular onset of El Niño and the lingering effects of the drought remain and are coupled with widespread economic fragility and new shocks including flash floods, heavy rainfall, and earthquakes. The political situation remains unstable, with the DFA doubling down on efforts to curtail the rights of women, making it increasingly challenging to mobilize resources and support from the international community for the humanitarian and development needs of vulnerable Afghans.
• Heavy armed clashes at Torkham Crossing Point: Following three days of negotiations, Afghan and Pakistani authorities have successfully reached an agreement to reopen the Torkham Crossing Point. As of 15 August, normal traffic has resumed at the Torkham Crossing, facilitating the movement of both pedestrians and trucks, with normal customs clearance processes operating on both sides. However, only trucks with valid Temporary Admission Document (TAD) documents are allowed to carry goods from both directions in Torkham and Spin Boldak borders.