The Observer view on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan | Observer editorial
The west must not stand by and allow a million children to die of starvation this winter
During 20 years of war in Afghanistan, according to the US-based Watson Institute’s Costs of War Project, about 176,000 people were killed, of whom 46,000 were civilians. Dreadful though they are, these figures are dwarfed by predictions by the World Health Organization that 1 million Afghan children under five will die of starvation this winter. Another 2.2 million will suffer acute malnutrition – unless urgent action is taken.
Relief organisations have warned for months of an impending humanitarian catastrophe. Now the catastrophe has arrived. “Hunger in the country has reached truly unprecedented levels,” the UN refugee agency said on 3 December. “Nearly 23 million people – that is 55% of the population – are facing extreme levels of hunger and nearly 9 million of them are at risk of famine.”
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