The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that 400 metric tons of fortified biscuits have finally arrived in Afghanistan after traveling approximately 15,000 kilometers and passing through nine countries. The agency stated that the closure of the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, coupled with disruptions to maritime routes, created significant challenges for transporting the shipment.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Corinne Fleischer explained that the consignment was initially shipped by sea from Indonesia to Pakistan and was intended to enter Afghanistan via overland routes. However, the closure of the border between the two countries prevented the shipment from continuing its journey.
According to Fleischer, the cargo was subsequently redirected to Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates with the intention of being transported by sea to Iran and then onward to Afghanistan. However, the closure of shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz rendered this option unfeasible as well.
She added that the WFP was ultimately compelled to adopt an alternative overland route a lengthy corridor traversing nine countries. The shipment eventually passed through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Türkiye, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan before entering Afghanistan through the Torghundi border crossing.
The World Food Programme stated that the fortified biscuits will be distributed to approximately 172,000 schoolchildren across Afghanistan.
The agency warned that delivering humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan has become increasingly difficult and costly, with regional crises exerting a direct impact on relief operations. As the organization emphasized, hunger does not wait for trade and transit routes to reopen.
The WFP further cautioned that if the closure of the Afghanistan–Pakistan border persists and the crisis in the Middle East intensifies, an additional 2.3 million people in Afghanistan could face food insecurity. This comes at a time when 13.8 million people across the country are already struggling with inadequate access to food and food insecurity.
The organization had previously projected that continued conflict in the Middle East and rising oil prices could expose millions of people in vulnerable countries to the risk of acute food insecurity. According to the WFP, nations affected by conflict, climate-related crises, and economic hardship or those heavily dependent on imports are likely to be disproportionately impacted by rising fuel, fertilizer, and food costs.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
