Abuja, Nigeria — A devastating malnutrition crisis in northern Nigeria has claimed the lives of at least 652 children in the past six months, according to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF). The international humanitarian organisation attributes the surge in child deaths to drastic funding cuts from global donors and the persistent insecurity plaguing large swaths of the region.
In a statement released this week, MSF warned that the situation is worsening rapidly, and if left unaddressed, could lead to thousands more preventable deaths in the coming months.
“This is not just a medical emergency; it’s a humanitarian disaster unfolding in slow motion,” said Michel-Olivier Lacharité, MSF’s Head of Emergency Operations. “We are running out of supplies, space, and time.”
The worst-affected areas lie in Nigeria’s northwestern and northeastern regions, where ongoing violence from armed bandit groups and extremist insurgents has displaced tens of thousands of families. Many have lost access to farmland, clean water, and local health services, making malnutrition all but inevitable for children in these communities.
“People are fleeing conflict only to die from hunger,” one MSF field coordinator noted. “The funding is drying up just as the need is exploding.”
Insecurity has also severely hindered humanitarian access, with aid workers often forced to suspend operations or evacuate clinics in dangerous areas.
According to MSF, over 60,000 children were treated for severe acute malnutrition in just the first half of 2025. The 652 confirmed deaths occurred in MSF-supported clinics and stabilisation centres, meaning the actual number of deaths in remote or inaccessible areas is likely much higher.
Children suffering from malnutrition are particularly vulnerable to common diseases like malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea, which can quickly become fatal without adequate nutrition and medical support.
MSF’s operations in Nigeria have been significantly hampered by funding shortfalls, with many international donors redirecting aid to other global crises. This comes amid rising demands for humanitarian assistance across Africa, the Middle East, and war-torn regions of Eastern Europe.
“We are seeing the consequences of deprioritizing humanitarian aid,” said Lacharité. “Children are dying not just from hunger, but from the world turning its back.”
Earlier this year, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that Nigeria was one of the most underfunded humanitarian operations globally, despite being home to over 8 million people in urgent need of food and medical assistance.
While Nigeria’s federal and state governments have acknowledged the crisis, critics say bureaucratic delays and poor coordination have hindered a swift response. Local officials have promised to scale up nutrition programs, but many are calling for immediate international assistance to avert a full-scale catastrophe.
MSF is urging global donors, including the European Union, United States, and Gulf countries, to urgently restore humanitarian funding to Nigeria’s most vulnerable regions. The organisation is also calling for secure humanitarian corridors to reach isolated communities.
Health experts emphasise that malnutrition is both treatable and preventable—if the right resources are mobilised in time. Ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), fortified nutritional supplements, and basic medical care can dramatically reduce child mortality rates. But without funding and security, such interventions remain out of reach for many.
“No child should die from hunger in 2025,” said an MSF doctor in Zamfara State. “This is a crisis created by conflict, worsened by indifference, and solvable only through action.”
