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More than 600 malnourished children have tragically died in northern Nigeria over the past six months, a direct result of inadequate care due to dwindling foreign aid, according to a medical charity.
Doctors Without Borders, known as MSF, has revealed that northern Nigeria is grappling with an alarming malnutrition crisis, exacerbated by ongoing insurgency and widespread banditry in the region.
In the initial half of 2025, MSF teams provided crucial treatment to nearly 70,000 children suffering from malnutrition within Katsina state, necessitating hospitalization for close to 10,000 of these vulnerable young patients.
During the corresponding period, there was a staggering 208 percent increase in cases of nutritional edema, which represents the most severe and life-threatening form of childhood malnutrition, compared to 2024 figures.
Unfortunately, 652 children have already succumbed in MSF facilities since early 2025 due to a critical lack of timely access to essential medical care, the charity confirmed in a statement released on Friday.
Significant reductions in foreign aid, largely triggered by US President Donald Trump’s decision to drastically cut overseas spending, have severely impacted the humanitarian situation in northern Nigeria.
These aid cuts, also stemming from Britain and the European Union, combined with surging living costs and a dramatic increase in jihadist attacks, have created a dire and rapidly deteriorating environment.
Ahmed Aldikhari, MSF’s country representative in Nigeria, emphasized that the true scale of this unfolding crisis far surpasses all prior predictions, highlighting its overwhelming nature.
An MSF survey involving 750 mothers further revealed that over half were acutely malnourished themselves, with 13 percent experiencing severe acute malnutrition.
Katsina state nutrition officer, Abdulhadi Abdulkadir, acknowledged the severe malnutrition within the state but stated that MSF’s reported numbers might be “too high compared to reality” and awaited official validation from his administration.
He confirmed that deaths due to malnutrition are indeed occurring and promised to release validated figures next week.
The MSF data encompasses the entire northern region of Nigeria, spanning over a dozen states.
Abdulkadir further explained that northern parts of Katsina state, bordering Niger and situated in the semi-desert Sahel, face the most severe malnutrition due to harsh climatic conditions limiting food production.
Additionally, criminal gangs, often referred to as bandits, are actively hindering farming in the fertile southern areas by raiding villages and conducting kidnappings for ransom.
These criminal activities have significantly aggravated the malnutrition issue across the region.
Nationwide, in a country of approximately 230 million people, a record nearly 31 million individuals are currently facing acute hunger, according to David Stevenson, who heads the UN’s food agency operations in Nigeria.
The World Food Programme (WFP) recently issued a stark warning that it would be forced to suspend all emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria by the end of July.
This critical suspension is directly attributed to severe funding shortfalls, underscoring the widespread and escalating hunger emergency across the nation.
