The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that thousands of people in northeast Nigeria are at risk of catastrophic food shortages for the first time in nearly ten years, as cuts to humanitarian aid worsen malnutrition in the region.
In Borno State alone, around 15,000 people are considered at high risk, while more than 13 million children across the Northeast are projected to suffer malnutrition in 2026. Years of conflict, displacement, and economic pressures have driven food insecurity, but WFP says reductions in aid are pushing vulnerable communities beyond their capacity to cope.
“The reduced funding we saw in 2025 has deepened hunger and malnutrition across the region,” said Sarah Longford, WFP’s deputy regional director for West and Central Africa. Across West and Central Africa, 55 million people are facing severe food shortages, with over three-quarters located in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.
Funding shortfalls in 2025 forced WFP to scale back nutrition programmes in Nigeria, affecting more than 300,000 children. By February 2026, the agency said it will only be able to reach 72,000 people, a sharp drop from the 1.3 million assisted during the 2025 lean season.
Regional insecurity has further disrupted aid. In Mali, food supply routes have been blocked, leaving 1.5 million people facing crisis-level hunger, while more than half a million people in Cameroon risk being cut off from assistance.
WFP said it urgently requires over $453 million in the next six months to sustain humanitarian operations. “To break the cycle of hunger, national governments and partners must invest in preparedness, anticipatory action, and resilience-building to empower communities,” Longford added.
Without immediate support, the most vulnerable in West and Central Africa face another year of severe hunger.
