By the time the UN's World Food Programme declares a famine, many will already have died
Some 23m Afghans, in a country of 38m, face acute hunger. Of those, 8.7m are in a state of emergency, the second-highest category in the’s hierarchy of calamity. The classification manual explains that by the time the agency declares a famine, the highest category, it will be too late to avert the worst consequences “because many will have died”.
Afghanistan’s condition was fragile even before the fall of the capital, Kabul, in August. Long periods of below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures have led to poor harvests and high prices. After decades of warfare, around 4m Afghans are refugees in their own country, with little means of support.
The trouble is that this would hand billions of dollars to the Taliban, yet to be recognised by any country as legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. The cabinet includes figures such as Sirajuddin Haqqani, whom the West considers a terrorist. America is adamant that the group must form a government that represents all Afghans and guarantee rights for women, girls and minorities.
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