Kabul, Jan 14 (IANS): Some $733 million humanitarian assistance was needed to help Afghanistan in 2020, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.

"In 2020, humanitarian partners have identified 9.4 million people in need of humanitarian and protection assistance. From these, humanitarian partners have prioritised some 7.1 million people to receive life-saving assistance in 2020, for which $733 million is required," Xinhua news agency quoted OCHA as saying in a statement.

Prolonged conflict in Afghanistan has resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths and injuries, and protracted displacement for millions, the statement said, adding "many millions of people are still reeling from the crippling effects of the 2018-19 drought and struggling to recover"/

The cumulative impacts of decades of war, combined with recurrent natural disasters and chronic poverty, have resulted in crippling debt and depleted people's capacity to cope with repeated shocks, it added.

"Over 14 million people are projected to experience crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity in the first quarter of 2020. Malnutrition is soaring, with over three million children and women acutely malnourished, requiring specialized nutrition supplies and medicines."

Over a million Afghans have been displaced due to conflicts since 2001 as worsening security situation and the ongoing insurgency have forced the people to leave their houses for safer places.

In 2019, over 414,000 people displaced due to heavy clashes between security forces and Taliban militants or drought, according to official figures.