Health · 2026-10-16 · Afternoon briefing
Northern Nigeria's hunger crisis leaves 34.7m food insecure
A deepening food crisis across northern Nigeria has pushed 34.7 million people into crisis levels of insecurity, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. More than 5.4 million children are now acutely malnourished, with medical teams from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) describing the situation as "critical" and life-threatening.
The crisis extends beyond the patients, causing significant emotional distress for caregivers who spend weeks at hospital bedsides. In 2025, MSF teams treated 425,634 children for acute malnutrition, including over 353,000 for its most severe form. The World Food Programme attributes the worsening hunger to ongoing insecurity, which displaces communities and restricts humanitarian access.
Projections indicate the situation will deteriorate further. The number of severely food-insecure people is expected to reach nearly 5.8 million by 2026, with an estimated 15,000 people within that group at risk of facing catastrophic hunger.
Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.
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- Expanding conflict leaves over three million 'acutely food insecure' in northern Nigeria: WFP
- Northern Nigeria hunger reaches worst levels in nearly a decade, WFP says
- Northern Nigeria Hunger Reaches Worst Levels in Nearly a Decade, WFP Says
- Armed attacks, aid cuts provoke record hunger levels in Nigeria: WFP
- UN food agency projects northern Nigeria to experience hunger at unprecedented level in 2026
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