蜜芽传媒

鈥淲e must remember - in the midst of Ukraine - that the horror in Afghanistan is accelerating not abating," that's the warning by a former British Member of Parliament. The fallout from Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine means that Afghanistan鈥檚 dire humanitarian and economic situation could worsen as food prices soar and foreign aid is diverted to help refugees in Europe.

Graeme Smith, senior consultant on Afghanistan for the International Crisis Group, told Newsday humanitarian aid is not enough - sanctions imposed after the Taliban takeover need to be relaxed if Afghans are to feed themselves.

"You have an estimated 23 million Afghans on the brink of famine. When people show up at the bakery the bread is smaller - the bakers can't afford to provide a piece of bread that is big enough to fill your belly. The price per kilogram of wheat flour is rising... and that means more people are hungry on a daily basis."

"The UK government will co-host a virtual pledging summit... [for] $4.4bn just to cover basic humanitarian needs for the coming year. There has never been a [United Nations] appeal so large. The concern now is that donors will be distracted. And we don't have the fresh numbers yet in terms of how these rising food prices, as a result of the Ukraine conflict, will affect Afghans."

(Pic: Afghans getting food aid from the World Food Programme; Credit: Getty Images)

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