Maiduguri: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a complete suspension of emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria by the end of July. This suspension is attributed to severe funding shortages occurring alongside increasing violence and record levels of hunger in the region.

According to African Press Organization, WFP’s food and nutrition supplies have been entirely depleted, with the last of their resources dispatched from warehouses in early July. The halt in life-saving assistance will become effective once the ongoing distribution cycle concludes, leaving millions without support.

The lack of immediate funding is expected to force countless vulnerable individuals to make difficult decisions, including enduring worsening hunger, migrating, or potentially falling prey to extremist groups in the area. The cessation of emergency aid is likely to compel many to migrate in search of sustenance and security. Others may resort to detrimental survival strategies, such as joining insurgent factions, noted Stevenson. Food assistance has historically prevented these dire outcomes by providing nourishment, aiding economic recovery, and fostering long-term stability.

Throughout the first half of 2025, WFP managed to stave off widespread hunger across northern Nigeria, delivering essential food and nutrition aid to 1.3 million individuals. Plans were in place to extend support to an additional 720,000 people during the year's second half, but funding shortages have jeopardized these critical initiatives.

Despite possessing the necessary capacity and expertise to implement and expand its humanitarian efforts, WFP faces paralysis due to the funding crisis. The organization urgently needs US$130 million to avert an impending pipeline break and maintain its food and nutrition operations until the end of 2025.