Aid cuts causing extreme hunger in Nigeria’s northeast — UN Warns
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning: Nigeria's northeast region is facing its worst hunger crisis in nearly a decade, driven by sharp cuts in humanitarian aid that are deepening malnutrition and pushing vulnerable communities toward catastrophic food shortages. This alert, reported widely on January 16, 2026, highlights how funding shortfalls in 2025 forced the WFP to scale back critical nutrition programs, affecting over 300,000 children. The agency had previously cautioned that resources could run out by December 2025, potentially leaving millions without support. Key details from the WFP statement include: Thousands of people in the conflict-affected northeast (primarily Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states) now risk catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5) for the first time in almost 10 years. Around 15,000 people in Borno State are at immediate risk of famine-like conditions amid ongoing militant unrest. Aid reductions have exacerbated existing drivers of hunge...