Nigeria is heading toward its worst hunger emergency on record, with militant violence across the north pushing food insecurity to historic levels, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
The UN agency projects that 35 million Nigerians will face severe hunger in 2026 — the largest figure ever recorded in the country and the highest expected in Africa next year.
In Borno State, the center of Nigeria’s prolonged security crisis, at least 15,000 people are expected to face catastrophic, famine-like conditions.
Borno will be classified in Phase 5, the WFP’s most extreme hunger category.
The WFP says northern Nigeria is experiencing its worst hunger crisis in a decade, as relentless attacks by armed groups prevent farmers from cultivating their land.
October saw al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM claim its first attack in Nigeria, adding to a growing roster of violent groups.
The country has also faced a surge in mass kidnappings, including the abduction of more than 300 students and 12 teachers in Niger State on November 21.
The crisis is being intensified by the massive cut in U.S. aid, after the Trump administration halted USAID funding to the WFP.
The agency says it will run out of resources for emergency food assistance by December, following the suspension of aid across West and Central Africa earlier this year.
“Without immediate funding, millions will be left with no support in 2026,” the WFP warned.
“This will fuel instability and deepen a crisis the world cannot afford to ignore.”
