Why are millions in northeast Nigeria facing starvation?
Over one million people in northeastern Nigeria are now at risk of starvation. In towns like Damboa, once thriving farming communities have become centers of displacement and survival. Situated near the Sambisa forest, Damboa has been on the frontlines of Nigeria’s 16-year insurgency, which has intensified again in recent months. The resurgence of Boko Haram and IS-aligned ISWAP fighters, combined with massive cuts in foreign aid, is accelerating a hunger crisis.
Almata Modu, 25, fled her village in May after a violent attack. “We are safe, but the food is not enough,” she said while waiting at a local aid distribution center. Another displaced resident, Aminata Adamu, fled her home 10 years ago. She receives food rations for four people, but now cares for 11.
Food supplies are dwindling fast. “This is our last rice from USAID,” said Chi Lael, Nigeria spokeswoman for the World Food Programme (WFP), referencing US aid cuts that have left warehouses empty and humanitarian programs in crisis. In the worst-hit states, Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, five million people are severely hungry, yet only 1.3 million are currently receiving food.
How are children being affected by malnutrition?
Damboa now has the highest rate of child malnutrition in northeast Nigeria. “Lives will be lost,” said Kevin Akwawa, a doctor with International Medical Corps. Mothers like 39-year-old Fanna Abdulraman are desperate. She brought her six-month-old twins to a nutrition center, but cannot breastfeed them due to her malnutrition.
Of the 500 nutrition centers in the region, 150 are scheduled to close by the end of July. According to WFP nutrition officer Dr John Ala, this puts 300,000 children at risk. “When you see food insecurity, poverty, the next thing… is more insecurity, because people will resort to very terrible coping mechanisms to survive,” he warned.
What is worsening the crisis for displaced communities?
Flying into Damboa reveals farmland left to waste. Many residents are too afraid to return due to ongoing violence. Even those who try to farm rely on armed militia protection, stationed every few kilometers along key highways.
The situation is compounded by inflation, strained military resources, and a breakdown in cross-border counterterrorism cooperation. Farmers have been killed in their fields. At the same time, nearly 31 million people across Nigeria are battling acute hunger.
“This is no longer just a humanitarian crisis, it’s a growing threat to regional stability,” said David Stevenson, WFP country director. As food aid ends and conflict intensifies, families like that of Fanna Mohammed, a 30-year-old mother of nine, fear the worst. “I can’t imagine that we will live,” she said, unaware that aid to her family will soon stop.
By Risper Akinyi