The World Food Programme (WFP) has said aid cuts have pushed at least 1.2 million people in North-East Nigeria deeper into hunger.

 The warning on Friday cited the Cadre Harmonisé, the regional equivalent of Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) which rates food insecurity on a scale from one to five.

IPC levels range up to catastrophic famine, helping governments and agencies plan emergency responses.

 The agency said “In Nigeria, funding shortfalls last year forced WFP to scale down nutrition programmes, affecting more than 300,000 children. Malnutrition levels in several northern states have deteriorated from ‘serious’ to ‘critical.’’

 The UN agency said it would reach only 72,000 people in February, down from 1.3 million assisted during the 2025 lean season.

 Across West and Central Africa, 55 million people are expected to face crisis-level hunger, or worse, during the June to August lean season.

 It projects 13 million children will suffer malnutrition this year, while over three million people face emergency food insecurity—more than double the 2020 figure.

 WFP regretted that funding cuts continue in spite of rising violence and displacement in the region.

 According to WFP, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger account for 77 per cent of regional food insecurity.

The latest figures show that 15,000 people in Borno State are at risk of catastrophic hunger for the first time in nearly a decade.

 Conflict, displacement, and economic turmoil drive hunger, but funding cuts are now pushing communities beyond their coping capacity.

 “The reduced funding we saw in 2025 has deepened hunger and malnutrition across the region. As needs outpace funding, so too does the risk of young people falling into desperation,” said WFP Deputy Regional Director, Sarah Longford.

WFP urgently requires over $453 million in the next six months to continue humanitarian assistance across the region.

 Meanwhile, WFP also warned that more than half a million vulnerable people in Cameroon risk losing assistance in the coming weeks.

 In Mali, areas receiving reduced food rations saw a nearly 65 per cent surge in acute hunger, compared with a 34 per cent decrease where full rations were provided.

 Continued insecurity disrupts supply lines to major cities, leaving 1.5 million of the country’s most vulnerable at risk of crisis-level hunger.

 WFP stressed that adequate funding is vital for operations that improve food security across West and Central Africa.

 Teams have helped rehabilitate 300,000 hectares of farmland, supporting over four million people in more than 3,400 villages.

 Programmes also include school meals, nutrition, capacity building, seasonal aid, and infrastructure development to stabilise local economies and reduce aid dependency.

 “To break the cycle of hunger for future generations, we need a paradigm shift in 2026,” Longford said.

 She urged governments and partners to increase investment in preparedness, anticipatory action, and resilience-building to empower local communities.

(NAN)