The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that one million people in Northeast Nigeria could lose emergency food and nutrition assistance unless new funding is secured within weeks.
In a statement, the UN agency said Nigeria is facing one of its worst hunger crises in recent times, with millions at risk during the upcoming lean season.
“If WFP cannot continue supporting displaced populations in camps, they will leave the sites in a desperate attempt to survive. They will try to migrate, or they may join insurgent groups to feed themselves and their families,” said David Stevenson, WFP’s Nigeria Country Director.
According to the agency, nearly 35 million people are projected to face acute and severe food insecurity during the lean season, including about 15,000 people in Borno State who risk slipping into catastrophic hunger, one step away from famine.
“The crisis is unfolding amid renewed violence in the north, which has devastated rural communities, displaced families and destroyed food reserves. Now is not the time to stop food assistance,” Stevenson said.
He warned that cutting aid would lead to “catastrophic humanitarian, security and economic consequences” for the most vulnerable people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter.
“Humanitarian solutions are still possible and remain one of the last stabilising forces preventing mass displacement and regional spillover,” he added.
WFP said the current situation represents the worst levels of hunger recorded in a decade.
The agency said it urgently requires $129 million to sustain its operations in the northeast over the next six months, warning that its programmes could shut down if funds are not received in time.
