The United Nations World Food Programme has warned that thousands of people in Nigeria’s North-East are facing the risk of catastrophic food shortages for the first time in nearly a decade, as cuts in humanitarian funding worsen hunger and malnutrition across the region.
The UN agency said on Friday that about 15,000 people in Borno State are at risk, while more than 13 million children across the North-East are projected to suffer malnutrition this year.
According to the WFP, prolonged conflict, displacement and mounting economic pressures have fuelled food insecurity for years, but recent reductions in humanitarian assistance are now pushing vulnerable communities beyond their ability to cope.
“The reduced funding we saw in 2025 has deepened hunger and malnutrition across the region,” the WFP’s Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Sarah Longford, said.
She noted that the crisis extends beyond Nigeria, adding that about 55 million people are currently facing severe food shortages across West and Central Africa, with more than three-quarters of those affected living in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
Although the agency did not disclose specific funding figures, it said humanitarian organisations have been raising concerns since the administration of former United States President Donald Trump began reducing foreign aid under its “America First” policy, while Britain and other countries also cut aid budgets to boost defence spending.
The WFP said funding shortfalls in 2025 had already forced it to scale back nutrition programmes in Nigeria, affecting more than 300,000 children. The agency had earlier warned that nearly 35 million people could face hunger as its resources were expected to run out in December.
“In Nigeria, WFP will only be able to reach 72,000 people in February, a drastic reduction from the 1.3 million assisted during the 2025 lean season,” it said.
Elsewhere, the agency noted that insecurity in Mali has disrupted major food supply routes, leaving about 1.5 million people facing crisis levels of hunger, while more than 500,000 people in Cameroon risk being cut off from humanitarian assistance in the coming weeks.
The WFP said it urgently requires more than $453m over the next six months to sustain life-saving humanitarian operations across West and Central Africa.
It warned that without immediate resources and action, millions of the most vulnerable people in the region could face yet another dire year.
“To break the cycle of hunger for future generations, we need a paradigm shift in 2026. National governments and their partners must increase investment in preparedness, anticipatory action and resilience-building to empower communities,” Longford said.
