35 Million Nigerians To Face Food Insecurity — UN

Nearly a record 35 million Nigerians may face food insecurity in the upcoming lean season (May to October), according to the United Nations (UN).

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, disclosed this at the launch of the 2026 Nigeria Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan in Abuja on Thursday.

He also said that three million children are at risk of life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.

“These are not statistics. These numbers represent lives, futures and Nigerians, Fall said, adding that while the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan covers Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, alternative models for a response in the North-west and other parts of Nigeria are being explored.

“These models are based on a humanitarian, development, and peace nexus approach drawing on lessons learned from North-east Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan aims to reach 2.5 million people, down from 3.6 million in 2025, with lifesaving assistance at a cost of US $516 million.

Nigeria tops global hunger hot spots in 2025 — Report

Nigeria, Sudan, and DR Congo have been named among top 10 global hunger hot spots in 2025.

This is contained in a 2026 Global Hunger Hotspots report by Action Against Hunger which was released on Thursday.

Nigeria with 31.8 million people in acute food insecurity tops the list while Sudan and DR Congo followed closely with 25.6 million people each.

Thierno Samba Diallo, Country Director, Action Against Hunger, said “Nigeria is the country with the highest number of people facing acute food insecurity, with over 30 million individuals affected in 2025.

The crisis is particularly severe in the northern states, where armed conflict, displacement, and recurrent flooding have left millions of people in need of urgent assistance.

He said, “Malnutrition rates are alarming: over 5.4 million children suffer from acute malnutrition, of whom 3.6 million are severely malnourished and at immediate risk of death without access to therapeutic treatment.

“The collapse of health systems, widespread food insecurity, and the lack of essential water, sanitation, and hygiene services further increase the vulnerability of populations. At the same time, insecurity and recurrent attacks by armed groups severely limit access to affected communities, hampering relief operations.

“Drastic cuts in international funding, combined with customs and administrative delays, as well as insecurity, disrupt supply chains and slow down humanitarian operations, compromising the distribution of vital aid, such as food and ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF).”

The report revealed that two out of three people suffering from acute food insecurity worldwide live in just 10 countries, with over 196 million people facing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic hunger conditions.

The report, which integrates data from the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025) and the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC 2025), identifies the 10 most critical hunger hotspots to watch in 2026: Nigeria (31.8 million people in acute food insecurity), Sudan (25.6 million), Democratic Republic of Congo (25.6 million), Bangladesh (23.6 million), Ethiopia (22 million), Yemen (16.7 million), Afghanistan (15.8 million), Myanmar (14.4 million), Pakistan (11.8 million), and Syria (9.2 million).

Global reports

The analysis also highlights three particularly critical contexts where hunger affects 50-100% of the population: Gaza Strip (94% of the population), South Sudan (56%), and Haiti (56%).

The report revealed that approximately 673 million people globally suffered from chronic hunger in 2024, while 295 million people faced acute food insecurity across 59 countries and territories – the highest figure since the GRFC was first published in 2016.

“What we’re witnessing is an unprecedented convergence of crises,” said Charles Owubah, CEO of Action Against Hunger. “Armed conflict, climate disasters, economic collapse, and now devastating cuts to humanitarian funding are creating a perfect storm that threatens to push millions more people into famine. The international community must act now to prevent a catastrophe of historic proportions.”

The report documents that nearly 30 million children across the 13 analysed contexts suffer from acute malnutrition, with approximately 8.5 million severely malnourished and at elevated risk of death without timely treatment.

At least 13 million pregnant or breastfeeding women are also malnourished, with consequences likely to be passed on to their children.

In Gaza, famine was officially declared in August 2025, with projections indicating that 641,000 people – one-third of the population – will face catastrophic hunger conditions.

In Sudan, famine persists in multiple regions, affecting over 638,000 people, while the country hosts the world’s highest number of internally displaced persons at 10 million.

The humanitarian response is being severely hampered by a global funding crisis. Action Against Hunger’s 2024 “Hunger Funding Gap” report documented a 65% shortfall in funding for hunger-related programs. Since then, the United States announced an 83% cut to humanitarian programs worldwide, followed by significant cuts from Germany, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

“These funding cuts are not just numbers on a spreadsheet – they represent children who will die from preventable malnutrition, families who will be forced to skip meals, and communities pushed beyond their breaking point,” said Michelle Brown, Associate Director of Advocacy for Action Against Hunger.

(Daily trust)