Malnutrition in Nigeria killed 652 children in past six months, MSF says

The foundation says the deaths were caused owed to backing cuts by planetary donors amid insecurity successful bluish Nigeria.

At slightest 652 children person died from malnutrition successful the Nigerian authorities of Katsina successful the archetypal six months of 2025, according to Doctors Without Borders.

The charity, known by its French initials MSF, said successful a connection connected Friday that the deaths were caused by backing cuts from planetary donors, arsenic Katsina, located successful the country’s north, continued to endure from unit and insecurity.

“We are presently witnessing monolithic fund cuts, peculiarly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, which are having existent interaction connected the attraction of malnourished children,” said MSF.

The NGO said by the extremity of June this year, astir 70,000 children with malnutrition had already received aesculapian attraction from the MSF teams successful Katsina State, including astir 10,000 who were hospitalised successful superior condition.

It, however, stressed that the request for prevention and attraction of malnutrition is tremendous successful bluish Nigeria, and that urgent mobilisation was required.

In the northbound of Nigeria, different factors expanding malnutrition see illness outbreaks, which are pushed by debased vaccine coverage, availability, and accessibility of basal wellness services, and different socioeconomic indices analyzable by insecurity and violence.

MSF said the fig of children successful Katsina with the astir terrible signifier of malnutrition has risen by astir 208 percent this twelvemonth compared with the aforesaid play past year, and “unfortunately 652 children person already died successful our facilities since the opening of 2025.”

Banditry is rife successful Katsina, wherever insecurity has displaced galore people, forcing them to wantonness their farms. The government, alongside section civilian vigilante groups, has struggled to incorporate the activities of bandits.

WFP freezes aid

On Wednesday, the United Nations nutrient bureau said it volition beryllium forced to suspend nutrient and nutrition assistance for 1.3 cardinal radical successful Nigeria’s conflict-hit northeast by the extremity of July, due to the fact that stocks had tally retired owed to “critical backing shortfalls”.

The World Food Programme’s (WFP) determination head, Margot van der Velden, said “we volition look the heartbreaking world of having to suspend humanitarian assistance for the populations successful areas devastated by conflict.”

That means much than 1.3 cardinal radical successful Nigeria volition suffer entree to nutrient and nutritional support, 150 nutrition clinics successful the conflict-ridden Borno State successful the northeast whitethorn close, 300,000 children volition beryllium astatine hazard of terrible malnutrition, and 700,000 displaced radical “will beryllium near with nary means of survival”, she said.

For years, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had been the backbone of the humanitarian effect successful northeastern Nigeria, helping nongovernmental organisations supply food, structure and healthcare to millions of people.

The Trump medication has slashed overseas assistance and dismantled USAID, accusing the bureau of discarded and fraud and supporting a wide agenda. Other Western donors besides person slashed planetary assistance spending.

Nigeria has budgeted 200 cardinal naira ($130m) this twelvemonth to cushion the shortfall from the withdrawal of backing to the wellness assemblage by the US.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies