After weeks cut off from the world by war, Afghans receive emergency aid

An man carries a sack of food aid distributed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Kamdesh, Nuristan province, on April 22, 2026 in Afghanistan (AFP / Aimal ZAHIR).

When the stores had run out of flour and sugar, Osama Nuristani survived on milk from his cows, like other Afghan villagers cut off from the world by the war with Pakistan. This week, they finally received humanitarian aid.

In a valley in the Hindu Kush mountain range, in the eastern outskirts of Afghanistan, a long convoy carrying food, medical supplies, and drinking water arrived in the village of Kamdesh, in the Nuristan province, after hours on a dirt road.

Dozens of emaciated residents come to register to receive aid provided by the World Food Program (WFP), the Afghan Red Crescent, and the ICRC, as observed by an AFP team. The distribution is expected to last several days.

“For the past two months, due to insecurity and restricted access, nearly 136,000 people, or 17,000 families, in the regions of Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal (east) have faced food and care shortages,” emphasized the ICRC branch in Afghanistan.

“When the road was closed, we could no longer find flour, oil, or sugar in the stores,” said 22-year-old farmer Osama Nuristani in Kamdesh.

– Isolated Province –

Due to the risk of bombings from Pakistan, he left his house in the village to live in a mountain hut in summer, when the animals graze at higher altitudes. He survived on cow’s milk and corn harvested during the summer.

Relieved, he has just obtained flour, peas, salt, and oil provided by the WFP.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have been in conflict for months, with Islamabad accusing its neighbor of harboring Pakistani Taliban fighters responsible for deadly attacks on its soil, a claim denied by the Afghan Taliban government.

Armed clashes intensified starting from February 26, particularly in border areas like Nuristan, leading to almost complete closure of the only passable road in winter and spring to this isolated province.

“Vehicles attempting to pass on the road risked getting caught in gunfire exchanges, making this corridor unusable for civilians and humanitarian workers,” highlighted the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in early April, referring to the death of an NGO collaborator and her son whose car was hit by gunfire.

– “Ordinary People Suffer” –

If armed incidents between the two neighboring countries continue, local dignitaries from both sides of the Durand Line, which serves as a contested border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, have agreed to a ceasefire opening the way for this humanitarian convoy to Nuristan, according to residents and local officials contacted by AFP in both countries.

Communities on both sides of the Durand Line speak the same language and share the same culture.

“If this road is open, we will be happy because it connects us to (Kunar province) and we can move around. The other road is difficult for us because due to snow, it can only open for two months a year,” said Mohammad Naeem, a member of a local tribe.

The ICRC has also provided medical equipment to address shortages in health centers in these two regions of Nuristan.

“When there is war, ordinary people suffer,” says 34-year-old farmer Ejaz Ahmad, met in Kamdesh, “we ask both parties to pay real attention to civilians during the fighting.”

Several hundred civilians have been injured since the resurgence of this war, according to the UN.