The United Nations (UN) has launched an urgent appeal for \$160 million to address a deepening humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s conflict-ravaged northeast, where aid officials say conditions have reached their worst level in five years.
The call for funding comes amid ongoing violence from a 15-year insurgency that has killed over 40,000 people and displaced more than two million across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. The conflict has devastated agriculture and disrupted local economies, leaving millions dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival.
According to Trond Jensen, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Nigeria, the funds are urgently needed to provide food, nutrition, and health services to around two million people, including 600,000 vulnerable children.
“This is urgent,” Jensen told reporters at a press briefing on Monday. “We need the support now— not next week, not next month. The situation is the worst I’ve seen in five years.”
The appeal comes at a time when aid efforts are under strain due to reduced international contributions, particularly funding cuts by the United States through its development agency USAID. Officials say the reduction in support is significantly hampering efforts to deliver life-saving services.
Representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and UNICEF warned that the fragile situation could deteriorate further if the region is hit by disease outbreaks or natural disasters such as floods — for which it remains ill-prepared.
Nemat Hajeebhoy, UNICEF Nigeria’s chief of nutrition, stressed the dire consequences if assistance is delayed: “If these children don’t get access to treatment services, they will die.”
As the crisis intensifies, the UN is urging the international community to act swiftly to prevent further loss of life and to stabilize a region already pushed to the brink.