The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that it will be forced to halt all emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people – including hundreds of thousands of children – in north-east Nigeria by the end of July. Critical funding shortages following brutal cuts by leading donor countries are the reason for this suspension, which comes at a time when violence is escalating and hunger in the country has reached record levels.
WFP's food and nutrition supplies have been completely depleted. The organization's last supplies left warehouses in early July, and life-saving assistance will end once the current round of distributions is complete.
On Wednesday, the UN agency said that, without immediate funding, millions of vulnerable people will face impossible choices: endure increasingly severe hunger, migrate, or risk exploitation by extremist groups in the region.
“Nearly 31 million people in Nigeria are now facing acute hunger, a record number,” said David Stevenson, WFP Country Director for Nigeria.
“At the same time, WFP’s operations in north-east Nigeria will collapse without immediate, sustained funding. This is no longer just a humanitarian crisis, it’s a growing threat to regional stability, as families pushed beyond their limits are left with nowhere to turn.”
Children will be among the hardest impacted if vital assistance ends. More than 150 WFP-supported nutrition clinics in Borno and Yobe states will close, ending potentially life-saving treatment for over 300,000 children under two and putting them at an increased risk of wasting and death.
The north-east Nigerian states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) are grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis exacerbated by prolonged conflict, economic instability, climate shocks, and significant cuts to humanitarian funding in 2025.
One million children under five in the region are currently at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) this year — double last year's figure and the highest number in at least five years. In 2025, over 2.6 million children under five are expected to be affected by acute malnutrition in the north-east , with 1.6 million facing moderate acute malnutrition (MAM).
SAM, also known as severe wasting, is the deadliest form of malnutrition. Children diagnosed with SAM require immediate, intensive treatment because they are extremely vulnerable to life-threatening complications and have a high mortality rate if they receive inadequate care.
Malnutrition also weakens the immune system, making children more susceptible to infectious diseases. Contributing factors to the malnutrition crisis include insecurity, which limits access to farmlands, extreme weather conditions, and high food prices.
Meanwhile, access to healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene services (WASH) is deteriorating rapidly in north-east Nigeria due to additional drastic cuts in funding for other critical humanitarian assistance programs.
According to the March 2025 Cadre Harmonisé analysis, approximately 4.6 million people in the BAY states are expected to face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity during the peak of the lean season, from June to September.
Escalating violence from extremist groups in conflict-affected northern areas is driving mass displacement. Some 2.3 million people across the Lake Chad Basin have been forced to flee their homes, which has strained already limited resources and pushed communities to the brink.
“When emergency assistance ends, many will migrate in search of food and shelter. Others will adopt negative coping mechanisms – including potentially joining insurgent groups – to survive,” Stevenson said.
“Food assistance can often prevent these outcomes. It allows us to feed families, help rebuild economies and support long-term recovery.”
In the first six months of 2025, WFP was able to prevent widespread hunger across north-east Nigeria, by providing life-saving food and nutrition assistance to 1.3 million people. Support was planned for an additional 720,000 people in the second half of the year before funding shortfalls put life-saving programs in jeopardy.
The humanitarian organization stresses that it has the capacity and expertise to deliver and scale up its response, but the critical lack of funding is paralyzing operations. WFP urgently needs US$130 million to prevent an imminent break in the supply pipeline and to sustain food and nutrition operations through the end of 2025.
For over 15 years, the states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe have struggled with an armed insurgency by the non-state armed group Boko Haram, as well as widespread insecurity caused by armed gangs, resulting in one of the most severe humanitarian crises in Africa.
Humanitarian needs have been exacerbated by both climate related disasters, such as devastating floods, and worsening economic problems. However, armed conflict, disease outbreaks, food insecurity, and malnutrition continue to be the main drivers of humanitarian needs.