New York: The United Nations has released $6 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to address what officials describe as the worst malnutrition crisis to hit north-east Nigeria in five years.
Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, announced the release of funds on social media, stressing the urgency of delivering food aid and establishing long-term systems to mitigate future emergencies.
The crisis is most severe in the Nigerian states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, where escalating food insecurity has raised alarm ahead of the lean season from June to August. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that around 1 million children under the age of five are at risk of severe acute malnutrition this year—double the number recorded in 2024 and the highest in half a decade.
This emergency allocation aims to support humanitarian partners in delivering critical nutrition and healthcare services to the most vulnerable—especially women and young children—in a region where funding cuts are already severely hampering operations. Humanitarian actors say they are increasingly unable to respond effectively, as donor funding continues to shrink.
The funding boost follows the recent launch of a joint UN-Nigerian government lean season response plan, which seeks $160 million to provide lifesaving aid to 2 million people across the region.
Contributions to the UN Crisis Relief Fund directly support UN agencies and non-governmental organizations working on the ground to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance in Nigeria.
