What's happened
The UN warns of a deepening food crisis across West and Central Africa, driven by conflict, economic hardship, and reduced humanitarian funding. Over 13 million children face malnutrition, with communities in Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, and Niger at increasing risk of famine. Urgent funding is needed to prevent catastrophe.
What's behind the headline?
The recent funding reductions have critically undermined regional food security efforts, exposing the fragility of humanitarian aid in conflict zones. As WFP reports a doubling of food insecurity since 2020, it is clear that aid cuts are directly linked to worsening conditions. The situation in Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, and Niger illustrates how insecurity and economic pressures compound the crisis. The urgent need for over $453 million highlights the dependency of these communities on international support. Without increased investment, the risk of famine and social destabilization will escalate, potentially triggering further displacement and unrest. This crisis underscores the importance of sustained, flexible funding and proactive resilience-building to prevent future humanitarian failures.
What the papers say
All Africa reports that the WFP projects 13 million children will suffer malnutrition this year, with over 3 million facing emergency food insecurity, mainly in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. The agency emphasizes that funding cuts in 2025 have deepened hunger, with Mali experiencing a 65% increase in acute hunger when families received reduced rations. The New Arab highlights the dire situation in Afghanistan, where aid cuts have led to clinics closing and increased malnutrition among women and children, with some women resorting to early marriage and child labor. Reuters notes that insecurity and aid reductions have left 15,000 people in Borno state at risk, with 55 million facing severe shortages across the region. All sources agree that funding shortfalls are the primary driver of the worsening crisis, with urgent calls for increased international support to prevent catastrophe.
How we got here
Years of conflict, displacement, and economic instability have driven food insecurity in West and Central Africa. Recent aid cuts, influenced by shifting international priorities, have severely impacted humanitarian efforts, worsening malnutrition and hunger. The UN's WFP has been providing critical support, but funding shortages threaten to undo progress and push vulnerable populations beyond their coping capacity.
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The World Food Programme is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.
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Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to
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Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a sovereign country located in West Africa bordering Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west.