Afghanistan

21 April 2025

By 15 April, 439 health facilities across Afghanistan had closed or been suspended as a result of US funding cuts, affecting around three million people. Since 4 March, there has been a 163% increase in health facility closures or suspensions. The lack of access to healthcare facilities raises concerns about a potential increase in maternal and infant mortality rates and the aggravation of malnutrition in both urban and rural areas. Between June 2024 and May 2025, approximately 3.5 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to face acute malnutrition.
The Taliban’s enforcement of the Mahram rule, which restricts women from leaving the house without a male escort, further limits access to healthcare – particularly when nearby facilities are closed.
Healthcare facility closures compound the ban on women undertaking medical training, potentially creating a long-term shortage of female health workers. In some provinces, women are also prohibited from being treated by male doctors.
(Health Cluster 20/04/2025, Health Cluster 06/03/2025, HRW 03/12/2024)

15 April 2025

Since 1 April 2025, over 60,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan, fearing arrest owing to increased Pakistani Government pressure. In the first five days of April, over 1,600 detentions were reported. About 1.6 million people are expected to return from Pakistan in 2025. In Afghanistan, they will likely face food, housing, and employment shortages. (UNHCR 10/04/2025, AJ 15/04/2025, WFP 13/04/2025)

08 April 2025

Since 1 April 2025, 8,900 Afghans have been expelled from Pakistan to Afghanistan after Pakistan’s October 2024 announcement of a multistage deportation plan for undocumented Afghans, with a 31 March 2025 deadline. The Pakistani Government plans to forcibly expel Afghan nationals, including refugees and asylum seekers, as part of its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. Arrests, detentions, and harassment have increased, particularly in Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi (Punjab), causing many Afghans to flee, sometimes without their belongings. In Afghanistan, returnees face unemployment, a dysfunctional healthcare system, and decreased foreign aid. Some risk persecution by the Taliban. 14.8 million were projected to face Crisis (IPC phase 3) or worse acute food insecurity from November 2024 to March 2025. The health sector is collapsing, aggravated by the US funding freeze. By 4 March, 167 health facilities had closed in 25 provinces, affecting 1.6 million people, with more expected to close by June. (DW 08/04/2025, AI 26/03/2025, UN 17/03/2025)

10 December 2024

On 2 December 2024, the Taliban issued a new decree to ban women from attending medical training – one of the last higher education opportunities that were left for women in the country. This ban will worsen an already fragile healthcare system, leaving countless Afghan women without access to adequate care. The country is facing a severe shortage of medical professionals – particularly female doctors, nurses, and midwives. In Afghanistan, women are not allowed to see male doctors for treatment. If the ban is implemented, this contradictory decision may lead to increased risk of illness and death for women caused by a lack of healthcare access. In 2024, about 23.7 million people are projected to be in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan; 77% of them are women and children, and approximately 17.9 million require health assistance. Afghanistan is one of the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates, with 638 mothers dying for every 100,000 births. (HRW 03/12/2024, MSF 06/12/2024, UNHCR 08/12/2024)

24 July 2024

From 15–16 July 2024, heavy rainfall and flash floods affected several provinces in eastern and northeastern Afghanistan, killing at least 58 people, injuring 380, and likely displacing many others. The impact also destroyed 550 tents In the Omari IDP camp and damaged many WASH facilities. People’s needs include food, shelter, health services, and clean drinking water. (OCHA 21/07/2024, IR 22/07/2024)

18 June 2024

Until 1 June 2024, over 610,000 individuals had returned to Afghanistan since the Ministry of Interior in Pakistan announced its Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan (IFRP) in September 2023. The return process is still underway, albeit slower than at the end of 2023. Among the most recent 21,821 returnees who arrived between 16–31 May 2024, 37% were elderly, 22% were individuals with chronic diseases, and 21% were women. These people might need tailored assistance. Overall, the most pressing needs of the returnees include financial support, shelter, and employment opportunities. (IOM accessed 18/06/2024, IOM 07/06/2024)

29 May 2024

An estimated 6.5 million children will likely face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity in 2024 given the impact of floods, droughts, and the mass return of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran. Heavy rains are likely to intensify in the coming months, leading to more floods and further affecting food insecurity. (STC 27/05/2024, WFP 21/05/2024)