Amid the worst malnutrition crisis to hit north-east Nigeria in five years, the United Nations relief chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has released $6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the region. In a statement on Monday, Fletcher stressed the need to deliver food to those in urgent need and establish systems to mitigate the risk of future crises.
The states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) in north-east Nigeria are grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis intensified by prolonged conflict, economic instability, climatic shocks, and significant funding cuts for humanitarian operations in 2025.
On Monday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued an update expressing deep concern about the impact of escalating food insecurity in the BAY states during the lean season between June and August. The new CERF funding will support aid agencies in meeting the most urgent nutritional and health needs of vulnerable populations, especially women and children, in north-east Nigeria.
OCHA noted that the CERF funding comes at a critical time, as brutal funding cuts by key donors are disrupting humanitarian response efforts. In Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, these cuts mean that humanitarian agencies no longer have the capacity to prevent the situation from worsening further.
This year, one million children under five in the region are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) — double last year's figure and the highest number in at least five years. Over 2.6 million children under five are expected to be affected by acute malnutrition in the north-east region in 2025, with 1.6 million facing moderate acute malnutrition (MAM).
Malnutrition 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 (WASH) services is deteriorating rapidly in north-east Nigeria due to drastic cuts in funding for critical humanitarian interventions.
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, according to the March 2025 Cadre Harmonisé analysis.
The UN warns that during times of food insecurity, there is usually a spike in gender-based violence, which particularly affects women and girls. Furthermore, many people resort to negative coping mechanisms to survive, such as marrying off their daughters or engaging in survival sex.
In May, the UN and the Nigerian government launched a six-month plan for the lean season seeking $159 million to provide life-saving assistance to two million people, as reduced donor funding for the humanitarian operation in Nigeria has significantly impacted the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP). As of today, the HNRP is only 11 percent funded.
A total of 7.8 million people in the BAY states are estimated to need humanitarian assistance this year. The HNRP aims to provide life-saving assistance to 3.6 million people affected by years of insurgency and insecurity in north-east Nigeria.
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 climate shocks, including devastating floods, as well as worsening economic problems. Meanwhile, armed conflict, disease outbreaks, as well as food insecurity and malnutrition remain the main drivers fueling these needs.
Expected flooding during the rainy season, which coincides with the lean season, will likely displace communities, contaminate water sources, damage sanitation infrastructure, and restrict access to healthcare. This significantly elevates the risk of waterborne diseases, such as cholera and diarrhea, as well as other diseases spread by vectors, such as malaria.
In 2024, flooding impacted 34 of Nigeria's 36 states, with Borno being the hardest hit. Overall, the floods affected 3 million people nationwide, claiming nearly 700 lives and displacing nearly 900,000 women, men, and children.
Nigeria is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Last year, extreme weather events associated with the climate crisis destroyed 226,000 homes, and other critical infrastructure was damaged or destroyed. Additionally, 1.3 million hectares of farmland were inundated in the middle of the harvest season.
A severe nationwide cholera outbreak exacerbated by the flooding is also increasing humanitarian needs, particularly in the northern states.
Devastating floods in north-central Nigeria
Between May 29 and May 30, heavy rainfall triggered flash floods that caused severe suffering and destruction in Mokwa, a market town in Niger State. According to state authorities, more than 150 people lost their lives. Many people, including children, are reportedly missing.
The floods destroyed homes, farmlands, water sources, essential infrastructure, and health facilities, leaving families without shelter, food, clean water, or access to critical health services.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), more than 3,000 people have been displaced. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), this includes over 1,600 children under the age of 12 and approximately 380 breastfeeding mothers.
The non-governmental organization Save the Children reports that houses, roads, and farmland have been completely submerged in water and mud. The floodwaters have destroyed vital aid routes, including two bridges, making it difficult to reach Mokwa, which is located about 370 km west of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
In the aftermath of the devastating floods that swept through Mokwa, the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) stepped in to provide life-saving support to affected families. The NRCS has provided critical non-food items to families in Mokwa to alleviate their suffering and restore a sense of dignity in the wake of the disaster.
On Monday, the NRCS said in a statement that it continues to work closely with local authorities, such as the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and NEMA, to monitor the situation and coordinate further relief efforts.
Following the flooding, NEMA warned that overcrowding and contaminated water sources increase the risk of disease outbreaks.
Nigeria faces multiple sources of insecurity
Nigeria, Africa's largest economy and most populous country with over 229.2 million people, is facing increasing violence from Islamic militants, particularly in the north-east, as well as large-scale criminal banditry in the north-west. The country is also experiencing communal violence between Christians and Muslims in the middle belt region and competition for land and resources throughout the country.
Ongoing armed conflict, banditry, violence, the effects of climate change, escalating inflation, and rising food and non-food commodity prices are driving food insecurity across the country. Nigerian authorities, at both the state and federal levels, have largely failed to protect their citizens from the widespread violence.
For example, since late May, clashes between farmers and herders in Benue State have killed dozens of people across several communities. Tensions between farmers and herders, as well as between ethnic and religious groups, have intensified in Benue State in recent years, resulting in recurrent attacks, kidnappings, and theft.
The conflict in Benue is mainly driven by competition over access to land, food, and water for farming and grazing, leading to large-scale displacement, with over 450,000 people displaced and hundreds killed.