Humanitarian aid reductions have driven at least 1.2 million people in northeast Nigeria deeper into hunger, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said, raising alarm over an escalating crisis in one of Africa’s most vulnerable regions. The warning underscores a broader deterioration in food security across West and Central Africa, where millions are now facing acute hunger or worse without urgent assistance.
In a statement released on January 16 and 17, 2026, the WFP said that funding shortfalls in 2025 forced the agency to scale back vital food and nutrition programmes, leaving many families unable to meet basic food needs. As a result, malnutrition levels in several northern states have deteriorated sharply and the number of people requiring help has surged beyond available resources.
Northeastern Nigeria, particularly Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, has long endured conflict, displacement and economic instability, factors that have driven widespread food insecurity. But the WFP’s latest analysis suggests that cuts to humanitarian funding are now pushing communities beyond the brink of coping with their circumstances.
The agency said it has already been forced to scale down programmes that previously reached about 1.3 million people, warning that in February 2026, that figure could fall to just 72,000 people assisted due to lack of resources. “Malnutrition levels in several northern states have deteriorated from ‘serious’ to ‘critical,’” the WFP noted, a stark indicator of how quickly conditions have worsened without sufficient support.
The hunger emergency in northeast Nigeria is part of a wider trend affecting millions across West and Central Africa. According to the WFP’s regional analysis, a staggering 55 million people are expected to endure crisis levels of hunger, or worse, during the June–August 2026 lean season, with more than 13 million children projected to suffer malnutrition this year.
WFP Deputy Regional Director Sarah Longford emphasised the scale and urgency of the problem.
She said, “The reduced funding we saw in 2025 has deepened hunger and malnutrition across the region. As needs outpace funding, so too does the risk of young people falling into desperation.”
The agency said it now urgently requires more than US $453 million over the next six months to sustain humanitarian operations across West and Central Africa, including life-saving food assistance, nutrition support and programmes aimed at stabilising vulnerable communities.
Without increased support, the WFP warned, the collapse of food aid could lead to further displacement, deepening malnutrition, and greater vulnerability among children and other at-risk groups. Already, feeding programmes and nutrition clinics, particularly for young children, have been scaled back or shuttered, pointing to a deteriorating humanitarian landscape.
The hunger crisis in northeastern Nigeria is being driven by a combination of factors: protracted conflict and displacement, which have disrupted farming and local food systems; economic strain, which has eroded purchasing power for many families; and now shrinking humanitarian budgets that have left relief agencies struggling to maintain previous levels of support.
As the crisis deepens, experts say that early intervention and sustained funding are essential not only to save lives but also to prevent food insecurity from triggering wider instability in one of Africa’s most fragile regions.
