UN aid chief urges G20: prevent mass starving in Afghanistan

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief had a dire message for leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies meeting this weekend: Worry about Afghanistan because its economy is collapsing and half the population risks not having enough food to eat as the snows have already started to fall. Martin Griffiths said in an interview Friday with  AP that “the needs in Afghanistan are skyrocketing.” Half the Afghan children under age five are at risk of acute malnutrition and Griffiths warned that food insecurity leads to malnutrition, then disease and death, and “absent corrective action” the world will be seeing deaths in Afghanistan.