Malnutrition kills 652 children in Nigeria amid aid cuts
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported that at least 652 children died from malnutrition in Nigeria’s Katsina State during the first half of 2025. The crisis, the organization says, is driven by significant funding cuts from major international donors including the US, UK, and EU.
MSF said nearly 70,000 malnourished children received care this year, with almost 10,000 hospitalized in serious condition. The number of children suffering from the most severe form of malnutrition has surged by 208% compared to the same period last year, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The situation is worsened by insecurity and violence in northern Nigeria, where armed groups and banditry have displaced families and disrupted farming. Disease outbreaks, low vaccine coverage, and poor access to basic health services are compounding the crisis.
The UN’s World Food Programme also announced it will suspend food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in Nigeria’s northeast by the end of July due to funding shortages. This could leave hundreds of thousands of children at risk of severe malnutrition.
Despite these warnings, Nigeria’s government has allocated 200 billion naira ($130 million) to help address the funding gap, following a sharp decline in foreign aid under the Trump administration and from other Western donors.
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