Despite war's end, Afghanistan remains deep in crisis: UN relief chief
- Tom Fletcher, the UN's relief chief, reported in May 2025 that Afghanistan faces a severe humanitarian crisis intensified by aid cuts and Taliban restrictions.
- The crisis escalated after the Taliban's 2021 return to power, amid massive aid budget cuts led by donors including the US under Donald Trump.
- Recent developments include 400 clinic closures, NGOs cutting half their staff, mass returns of over 3.4 million Afghans from Pakistan and Iran, and harsh restrictions on women’s rights.
- Fletcher characterized the aid cuts as severe and stated that this situation forces difficult decisions focused on prioritizing efforts in critical areas, decisions that can have serious consequences for people's survival.
- These combined pressures suggest worsening poverty, healthcare collapse, gender apartheid, and heightened displacement, implying urgent and complex humanitarian engagement is required.
19 Articles
19 Articles
UN agencies warn of worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan amid mass returns
Several UN aid agencies warned that Afghanistan’s escalating humanitarian crisis is being compounded by the mass return of its nationals from neighbouring countries, including Pakistan and Iran. The agencies also warned that the situation is further complicated by the struggling economy as well as restrictions on women’s rights. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that over 96,000 Afghans returned to the country in April alone…
Despite war’s end, Afghanistan remains deep in crisis: UN relief chief
Climate change, women’s rights, displacement, poverty: Afghanistan remains a priority as it faces overlapping crises, the UN’s relief chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Wednesday, deploring “brutal” aid budget cuts. “We’ve identified 17 crises across the world where our engagement is most urgent, most vital.

Despite war's end, Afghanistan remains deep in crisis: UN relief chief
Climate change, women's rights, displacement, poverty: Afghanistan remains a priority as it faces overlapping crises, the UN's relief chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Wednesday, deploring "brutal" aid budget cuts.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 38% of the sources lean Left, 38% of the sources are Center
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage