WFP director for Afghanistan warns of "tsunami of hunger'

United Nations World Food Program senior official Mary-Ellen McGroarty is warning that Afghanistan is facing a “tsunami" of hunger because of a shortage of funds that's needed to get food to people across the country

BRUSSELS -- Afghanistan is facing a “tsunami of hunger” because of a shortage of funds that's needed to keep the supply of food intact as country teeters on the edge of economic run with more than half of the population struggling to eat this winter, a senior official with the United Nations World Food Program said on Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, WFP leader in Afghanistan Mary-Ellen McGroarty urged the international community to put humanitarian necessity above political discussions and avoid disaster by making sure that billions in aid keep reaching the Taliban-run country.

According to the UN humanitarian organization, 22.8 million people face acute food shortages, including 8.7 million close to starvation.

“We don’t have enough money going into 2022," said McGroarty during a stop in Brussels. “What we call all the humanitarian sector in Afghanistan needs 4.4 four billion dollars for the next 12 months to mount a comprehensive response. And for WFP, we need 2.6 billion to do the minimum we need to be doing in 2022."