Urgent Funding Needed as Millions Face Food Insecurity in Central Sahel and Nigeria
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warns that millions in Central Sahel and Nigeria may face critical food shortages without immediate funding.
WFP has announced that life-saving food and nutrition assistance could end next month due to a severe funding crisis, the organization’s website announced. The situation is worsened by the early onset of the lean season, a time when hunger peaks between harvests. Chronic hunger in the region is driven by ongoing conflict, displacement, economic instability, and severe climate shocks, including devastating floods that affected over six million people in West Africa in 2024.
Funding shortfalls will force WFP to suspend food assistance for two million vulnerable individuals, including Sudanese refugees in Chad and internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. WFP Regional Director Margot van der Velden emphasized the urgent need for $620 million to maintain support for crisis-affected populations over the next six months.
Projected analyses indicate that 52.7 million people across the region will experience acute hunger between June and August 2025, with a 20% increase in extreme hunger expected. In Chad, the influx of Sudanese refugees is straining resources, while in Nigeria, high inflation and climate shocks threaten the lives of children and pregnant women.
WFP is calling for immediate action to ensure that assistance reaches the most vulnerable populations, stressing that food security is essential for national stability.
