Afghanistan Humanitarian Access Shifts: Four Districts Re‑Enter High‑Severity Category

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released its latest Access Severity Mapping for Afghanistan, showing a modest overall move from moderate to low severity but the re‑appearance of four high‑severity districts. Maymana in Faryab, Muhmand Dara in Nangarhar, Barg‑e‑Matal and Kamdesh in Nuristan now rank as high severity, up from none in the previous round. Moderate ratings now cover 233 districts, down from 242, while low ratings increased to 164 from 159. The Northeastern Region remains fully moderate, the Western Region has a mix of moderate and low, and the Central Highlands are entirely low. Constraints driving the shift include administrative interference, restrictions on female staff and beneficiaries, delays in MoU and project approvals, border controls, movement restrictions, and funding cuts. The report cautions that the rise in low‑rated districts may reflect reduced humanitarian presence rather than genuine access improvement.