Thousands in northeastern Nigeria face the threat of catastrophic hunger, as deepening aid cuts push fragile communities toward a breaking point.
The United Nations World Food Programme warned that the crisis is unfolding for the first time in nearly a decade.
About 15,000 people in Borno state are now considered at immediate risk, in a region scarred by years of militant violence.
Across West and Central Africa, some 55 million people are struggling with severe food shortages, the agency said.
More than three quarters of those affected live in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, where conflict and poverty entwine.
Humanitarian agencies say recent reductions in international aid have sharply worsened malnutrition across the region.
The WFP said more than 13 million children are expected to suffer malnutrition this year.
Sarah Longford, the agency’s deputy regional director, said reduced funding in 2025 had deepened hunger across vulnerable communities.
Shortfalls forced the WFP to scale back nutrition programmes in Nigeria, affecting over 300,000 children.
In Mali, insecurity has disrupted food routes, leaving 1.5 million people facing crisis levels of hunger.
In Cameroon, more than half a million people risk being cut off from aid in the coming weeks.
The WFP said it needs over 453 million dollars in the next six months to sustain life-saving operations.
