UN Agency Warns of Decade’s Worst Hunger Crisis in North-East Nigeria
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning that Nigeria’s conflict-affected north-east faces the most severe risk of catastrophic food shortages in nearly a decade. Aid reductions, driven by international funding shortfalls, are critically exacerbating malnutrition across the region. In Borno state alone, approximately 15,000 people are in immediate danger, highlighting a desperate situation that demands urgent global attention.
Regional Crisis Deepens as Resources Dwindle
The crisis extends beyond Nigeria’s borders. Across West and Central Africa, 55 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity, with over three-quarters residing in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. The WFP reports that funding constraints forced it to scale back vital nutrition programs in Nigeria, directly affecting more than 300,000 children. By December, the agency’s resources were depleted, leaving nearly 35 million people at risk. Sarah Longford, WFP’s deputy regional director for the region, emphasized that as needs outpace funding, the risk grows that desperation will fuel further unrest and displacement. In this context, the urgent need for support is clear, just as the Reps raise alarm over domestic security funding that often overlooks such humanitarian foundations.
Other nations in the region are also under strain. Insecurity in Mali has disrupted supply routes, leaving 1.5 million people facing crisis-level hunger. Meanwhile, in Cameroon, over 500,000 people risk being cut off from aid in the coming weeks. To sustain its operations, the WFP states it requires more than $453 million in the next six months.
Funding Cuts and Conflict Create a Perfect Storm
A primary driver of this deterioration is the reduction in aid from major donors. Policy shifts, such as those emphasizing national priorities, alongside budget reallocations by the UK and other nations toward defense spending, have decreased humanitarian program funding. This comes as communities are already pushed to the brink by prolonged conflict, displacement, and economic pressure. The gap in international support is now exceeding the coping capacity of vulnerable populations. For instance, while financial markets like the NASD market value are tracked daily, the silent erosion of humanitarian capital has equally devastating consequences for regional stability.
Nigeria’s north-east, after years of militant insurgency, has a deeply fractured agricultural and food distribution system. Humanitarian agencies have consistently cautioned that aid cuts could precipitate the worst hunger crisis in over ten years. The current situation validates those warnings, presenting a complex challenge that requires a coordinated response, not unlike the strategic planning seen when a leader is Ouattara set fourth term agenda, focusing on long-term national stability. The crisis underscores that without immediate intervention, the human cost will be immense, affecting generations of children who have no stake in geopolitical decisions but bear their heaviest burden.
