Afghanistan Faces Deepening Humanitarian and Political Crisis amid Rising Child Malnutrition and Taliban Infighting
Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation is deteriorating sharply, with severe child malnutrition and collapsing healthcare systems coinciding with new social restrictions and widening internal rifts within the Taliban regime.
According to a Sky News report, doctors in Badakhshan province say one child dies every three days from malnutrition, as hospitals face shortages of medicine and staff following the suspension of foreign aid. UNICEF spokesperson Daniel Timme described the situation as “extremely alarming,” with over 3.5 million children nationwide suffering from acute malnutrition. In Panjshir, Taliban authorities reported nearly 6,000 cases of malnourished women and children so far this year, according to Amu TV.
The crisis deepens as the Taliban tighten social controls, including a ban on smartphones in universities, reported by The Independent Persian, which critics say further isolates Afghan women and students.
Meanwhile, AFP and Al Arabiya report growing internal divisions between Taliban leaders in Kabul and Kandahar, prompting leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada to warn provincial officials against disobedience and reaffirm his absolute authority. Analysts view the move as an attempt to consolidate control amid fears of fractures within the regime.
Humanitarian agencies, including the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), warn that over 15 million Afghans now face acute food insecurity. With winter approaching and aid dwindling, children in provinces like Badakhshan and Panjshir remain at highest risk, while political infighting threatens to further paralyze relief efforts.
Meanwhile, a people’s tribunal in Madrid, composed of Afghan civil groups, international jurists, prosecutors, and victims, held public hearings to symbolically try Taliban leaders in absentia for crimes against humanity, focusing on systematic repression of women and girls since the Taliban’s return in 2021. Part of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), founded in 1979, this session is the first on Afghanistan and aims to give victims a platform to testify about bans on education, work, and public participation. The tribunal examines evidence of gender persecution, arbitrary detentions, torture, and suppression of civil society. This comes amid growing international pressure, including ICC arrest warrants for senior Taliban officials and UN investigations into war crimes and rights abuses.
