UN assists more than 4.6 million people in Afghanistan amid reeling crisis

As the economic crisis continues to grip Afghanistan, more than 4.6 million people in the war-torn country have been provided assistance, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees said

As the economic crisis continues to grip Afghanistan, more than 4.6 million people in the war-torn country have been provided assistance, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.

As per the assessment of the United Nations, about 90 per cent of the Afghan people are on the brink of starvation and a further 1.1 million Afghans in over 150,000 families have reportedly been assessed for humanitarian aid, Khaama Press reported.

The UNHCR has highlighted numerous times its collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to assist the needy citizens of the country that is suffering in so many ways since the Taliban took control August last year.

Out of several provinces, roughly 1,300 families in Panjshir province in northern Afghanistan have been driven out of their residing regions because of hostilities.

Earlier at the beginning of the year, the UN estimated that there are 24.4 million people in Afghanistan in need of aid and that 22.1 million of them require assistance taking the total to USD 4.1 billion, Khaama Press reported.

The rising crisis in Afghanistan has hit small enterprises the hardest and private companies have laid off more than half of their employees due to a shortage in sales and a drastic decline in the consumer demand for the products, according to the latest survey conducted by the World Bank.

According to the survey, small enterprises have been hit hardest with about 38 per cent of them seizing operations, compared to 25 per cent among medium and 35 per cent among large businesses in the country.

The findings also show Afghan domestic inputs have become more expensive and yet difficult to obtain due to supplier closure and supply chain disruptions, which all lead to price inflation since the beginning of political uncertainty.

As per a local survey, the rate of poverty in the country has exceeded 95 per cent since the fall of the former government while 56 per cent are seeking to leave the country amid a drop in daily income.

Moreover, millions of Afghans are on the brink of starvation as the country reels from a humanitarian crisis.