Winter and the interruption of international aid exacerbate the hunger crisis in Afghanistan

Under the dim light of a lamp inside their tent on the outskirts of Kabul, Sami Allah and his wife, Bibi Rehana, sat down to eat dry bread and drink tea, their only meal all day, with their five children and their grandson, who was not more than three months old.

“We have reached a stage where we are satisfied with death,” said Sami Allah (55 years old). Among his family members are two older sons, aged 18 and 20, and their wives, all of whom were among the millions of people who returned from neighboring Iran and Pakistan, following last year’s deportations.

After their return to Afghanistan, he added: “Things are getting worse day by day. What happened to us happened, but at least our children’s lives should be better.”

The United Nations World Food Program estimates that 17 million people are suffering from acute hunger following significant cuts in international aid.

Sami Allah was one of the Afghan returnees who spoke before the protests in Iran. He said that his family suddenly moved from a modest house in Iran to a temporary tent, after a raid carried out by the Iranian authorities led to their arrest and deportation.

He explained that they were able to save some belongings, but they were unable to extract all their savings that would have been enough to get them through the winter.

Reuters was unable to contact the authorities in Iran to obtain a comment.

For his part, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said: “Migrants returning to their country receive the greatest possible amount of assistance,” in areas including transportation, housing, health care, and food.

He added, in a statement, that eliminating poverty quickly is impossible in a country that has suffered conflict for 40 years, and has lost all its revenues and resources, despite extensive reconstruction efforts. Mujahid continued: “Economic programs need time and do not have an immediate impact on the lives of individuals.”

The World Food Program says that Iran and Pakistan have expelled more than 2.5 million Afghans, as part of large-scale mass deportation programs.

Tehran intensified deportations last year, citing security and resource concerns.

Islamabad also accelerated deportations amid accusations that the Taliban was harboring militants responsible for cross-border attacks inside Pakistani territory, accusations denied by Afghanistan.

. Iran and Pakistan expelled 2.5 million Afghans as part of large-scale mass deportation programs.