Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the WFP, said Afghanistan was experiencing its worst malnutrition surge on record following climate-related disasters, a deadly earthquake and the return of millions of Afghans expelled from Iran and Pakistan.“It is a nutrition crisis here in Afghanistan,” Skau told AFP during a visit to the country.

“The surge last year was the worst we’ve ever seen. It’s worse this year.”The WFP estimated in January that around five million Afghan women and children would face life-threatening levels of malnutrition in 2026 in a country of more than 40 million people.

Afghanistan’s conflict-driven border shutdown with Pakistan, which has largely halted cross-border movement for nearly eight months, combined with economic fallout linked to the Iran war, has disrupted regional supply chains and pushed up prices for fuel and essential food commodities.

“If we weren’t struggling with the supply chain, both delays and costs, we would be able to feed a million more children here in Afghanistan,” Skau said.He said thousands of tons of fortified biscuits intended for Afghan schoolchildren had originally been scheduled to transit through Pakistan before border restrictions forced the WFP to reroute supplies through Dubai and Iran.

After conflict intensified in the Middle East, the agency was compelled to redirect shipments again through seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Georgia and Turkmenistan.“It’s about to arrive this week, but it’s taken months.

It cost us way more,” Skau said.Funding shortages have compounded the crisis. The WFP has secured only eight percent of its targeted funding for Afghanistan this year, limiting its ability to respond to escalating humanitarian needs.

Skau described visiting a rural clinic in eastern Afghanistan where women carrying severely malnourished children waited for hours seeking assistance, only to be turned away because aid stocks had run out.

“We did not have assistance to give them,” he said. “The desperation in the voice of these women will stay with me for a long time.”

Following a virtual meeting with officials of the African Union, Arab League, UN, and EU, it was announced at a news conference held at the UN’s New York headquarters. According to Guterres, there was broad agreement among all attendees to denounce the current fighting in Sudan and demand an end to hostilities.

I ask for a truce to last for at least three days to honour the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr as an immediate priority, he said.

He noted that a cease-fire would offer civilians who have been imprisoned in combat areas a chance to leave, get medical care, and get food and other necessities.

According to Ahmed Al-Mandhari of the World Health Organisation, fighting between opposing military factions in Khartoum and other areas has resulted in at least 330 fatalities and close to 3,200 injuries. He added that 16 hospitals, nine of which are in Khartoum, are allegedly not operating as a result of attacks and a lack of supplies.

A ceasefire, according to Guterres, would halt hostilities and be a necessary first step towards a lasting end to the conflict. He also stated: “I have been personally engaged in doing everything possible to make it happen.”

Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the commander of Sudan’s regular army, and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, his deputy and the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, a heavily armed militia that was formerly allied with the army, engaged in combat on 15 April in Khartoum. Both generals seized power in Sudan during a coup in 2021.

The two commanders’ disagreement over the RSF’s intended integration into the regular army, a crucial requirement for a final agreement to restart Sudan’s stalled democratic transition, led to the start of the conflict. Any agreement to put the government back under civilian control must also include the formal civilianization of the army.

A cease-fire agreement, according to Guterres, should be followed by serious talks between the opposing sides to determine a roadmap towards a transfer of power, beginning with the establishment of a civilian administration.

He yelled, “The fighting has to stop right now. “The terrible cost to civilians and the dreadful humanitarian situation deeply worry me.”

According to him, the attack, looting, or theft of humanitarian infrastructure and assets—including cars and warehouses—has made relief efforts in the nation all but impossible.

Targeting of aid workers and resources must stop, according to Guterres. I remind all parties of their responsibilities under international law, particularly the protection of those providing relief to those in need.

He also committed to keep working with all sides to create a ceasefire and a political process to end the violence. He also voiced his great worry for the wellbeing of UN workers in the nation who have been confined in their houses in battle zones.