Sat Jul 26 08:30:27 UTC 2025: ## Malnutrition Crisis Grips Northern Nigeria as Funding Cuts Lead to Child Deaths
**KATSINA, Nigeria** – At least 652 children have died from malnutrition in Katsina State, Nigeria, in the first half of 2025, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The international medical charity attributes the alarming death toll to significant funding cuts from major international donors, exacerbating an already precarious situation fueled by ongoing violence and insecurity in the region.
MSF released a statement on Friday highlighting the devastating impact of reduced financial support from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. “We are currently witnessing massive budget cuts… which are having a real impact on the treatment of malnourished children,” the statement read.
By the end of June, MSF teams in Katsina State had already provided medical care to nearly 70,000 malnourished children, with nearly 10,000 requiring hospitalization for severe conditions. Despite these efforts, the charity emphasized that the need for malnutrition prevention and treatment is immense and requires urgent and increased mobilization.
The crisis is compounded by factors such as disease outbreaks linked to low vaccination rates, limited access to basic healthcare services, and widespread socio-economic challenges aggravated by insecurity and violence. Banditry is rampant in Katsina, displacing communities and forcing them to abandon their farms, further limiting access to food.
MSF reports a staggering 208% increase in the number of children with severe malnutrition in Katsina compared to the same period last year. The charity has expressed profound concern over the escalating situation.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) also warned of a looming crisis, announcing it would be forced to suspend food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in Nigeria’s conflict-ridden northeast by the end of July due to critical funding shortfalls. This suspension could lead to the closure of 150 nutrition clinics and place 300,000 children at risk of severe malnutrition.
Margot van der Velden, WFP’s regional head, lamented the heartbreaking reality of having to suspend humanitarian aid, leaving 700,000 displaced people “with no means of survival.”
The funding cuts come after years of support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been instrumental in providing essential food, shelter, and healthcare to millions in northeastern Nigeria. Reductions in foreign aid from major donors are significantly impacting humanitarian efforts on the ground.
The Nigerian government has allocated 200 billion naira ($130 million) this year to mitigate the impact of the funding shortfall in the health sector. However, the severity of the crisis underscores the urgent need for renewed international support to address the growing malnutrition crisis in Nigeria.
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