One Million Children Face Severe Malnutrition Crisis In North-East Nigeria, UN Warns
A looming nutrition emergency threatens the lives of nearly one million children in Nigeria’s North-East, as humanitarian agencies warn that severe acute malnutrition is expected to surge across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in the coming months.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has projected that about one million children could suffer from life-threatening Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in 2026, with cases expected to peak between June and August.
According to OCHA, without urgent access to specialised medical care and therapeutic food, hundreds of affected children could die from preventable complications associated with severe malnutrition.
The agency warned that humanitarian partners are in urgent need of additional funding to replenish critical nutrition supplies and sustain lifesaving interventions across the conflict-affected region.
“A child with Severe Acute Malnutrition cannot wait for budget cycles,” OCHA stressed, calling on donors and partners to release funding within days rather than months to avert a worsening crisis.
The North-East has continued to grapple with the combined effects of insecurity, displacement, poverty and food shortages, leaving millions of families vulnerable to hunger and disease.
Humanitarian organisations say timely intervention is crucial to prevent further loss of life and protect the most vulnerable children from the devastating consequences of malnutrition.
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