The United States has announced a $32.5 million humanitarian assistance package for Nigeria to tackle hunger and malnutrition in the country’s conflict-affected north, with a special focus on Borno state.
According to the U.S. mission in Nigeria, the funding will help deliver emergency food and nutrition support to thousands of internally displaced people in the northeast, a region devastated by over a decade of insurgency.
Who Will Benefit from the Aid?
The package is set to reach more than 764,000 vulnerable people, including:
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41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women
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43,235 children battling malnutrition
The Hunger Crisis in Borno State
Borno state remains the epicenter of Nigeria’s food crisis. Aid agencies warn of an “unprecedented hunger emergency” that could leave over 1.3 million people without access to food. If funding shortfalls persist, at least 150 nutrition clinics risk shutting down, leaving millions stranded.
Currently, in Maiduguri — the capital of Borno — only one in-patient malnutrition facility remains operational, run by Intersos, an Italian humanitarian organization.
WFP’s Funding Struggles
The World Food Program (WFP) has also raised alarm about dwindling resources. In July, its West Africa Regional Director, Margot van der Velden, revealed that funding shortages had forced the suspension of food assistance in parts of West and Central Africa. Without urgent intervention, food stocks across Nigeria and other affected countries could run out completely.
A Nation in Crisis
Beyond insurgency, northern Nigeria is battling rising insecurity that has claimed more than 35,000 civilian lives and displaced over two million people. Violent clashes between farmers and herders in the northwest and north-central regions have further worsened the food crisis.
Conclusion
The U.S. intervention provides a glimmer of hope, but the scale of Nigeria’s hunger crisis demands sustained international support and improved security within the country. Without both, millions remain at risk of starvation.
