Hunger in NW Nigeria

 

• A malnutrition crisis in northwest Nigeria, described as catastrophic and a critical emergency, is yet to be recognised by the UN
• The lack of recognition means no funding and few organisations can respond to the crisis in an area where thousands are children are gravely ill
• The UN must include northwest Nigeria in the humanitarian response plan and the international community must urgently respond to the emergency.

Since the beginning of 2022, MSF teams have witnessed extraordinarily high numbers of children with malnutrition in MSF’s programmes located in five states across northwest Nigeria. Multiple factors have led to a sharp increase in malnutrition in the region over last year.

“With increasing insecurity, climate change and global inflation of food prices in a post-pandemic world, we can only imagine this crisis getting worse,” says Dr Simba Tirima, MSF country representative in Nigeria. 

Since January, MSF teams working in collaboration with the Nigerian health authorities have treated close to 100,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition in 34 outpatient facilities. We have also admitted about 17,000 children requiring hospital care in 10 inpatient centres in Kano, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi states.

In Zamfara state, one of the areas most affected by ongoing violence and banditry, we recorded a 64 per cent increase in the numbers of severely malnourished children treated in the outpatient nutritional departments 

In Mashi local government area, in Katsina state, MSF found a 27.4 per cent rate of global acute malnutrition and a 7.1 per cent rate of severe acute malnutrition in June, even though the community has been relatively spared from violence and forced displacement. These rates indicate a critical emergency.

UN must recognise ‘critical emergency’ malnutrition crisis in northwest Nigeria - Nigeria | ReliefWeb