A humanitarian emergency is rapidly escalating in north-eastern Nigeria following deep cuts in foreign assistance by the United States government, with aid workers warning that millions of vulnerable people—especially children—are now at grave risk.
The region, already battered by years of insurgency and food insecurity, is reeling from the loss of vital funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), long considered the cornerstone of humanitarian support in the area.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump’s administration slashed over 90 percent of USAID’s foreign aid contracts, wiping out a staggering $60 billion in global assistance. The repercussions in Nigeria have been devastating.
Mothers Left Helpless as Children Die
The impact is painfully visible in the faces of mothers like Yagana Bulama, a displaced woman in Borno State who lost one of her newborn twins due to the abrupt suspension of critical nutrition services.
Holding her surviving child tightly, Yagana recounted her story: “I gave birth to twins eight months ago. Both were diagnosed with severe malnutrition and enrolled in Mercy Corps’ Outpatient Therapeutic Program at Fulatari. They began to recover with treatment.”
But her relief was short-lived. “After three weeks, the program was suddenly halted because of the stop work directive. Without continued treatment, my babies’ health declined. One of them didn’t make it.”
Now, she clings to hope that her remaining child will survive, relying on the limited support still being offered by UNICEF.
Aid Agencies Overwhelmed as Services Collapse
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the number of children in need of immediate assistance in north-eastern Nigeria has doubled since the U.S. aid cuts took effect.
“What we are seeing is heartbreaking,” said Trond Jensen, head of OCHA’s Nigeria office. “Fifty percent of our nutrition response has vanished. Seventy percent of our health services are either under serious threat or have already disappeared.”
He added that although humanitarian needs have surged, their capacity to respond has been “halved, or even worse.”
Jensen emphasized the urgency of the situation: “We are appealing for emergency support. Without immediate funding, thousands more children could die needlessly.”
A Legacy of Support Disrupted
USAID has played a central role in sustaining life-saving programs in the region, channeling funding through trusted NGOs that provide food, clean water, medical aid, and shelter to displaced and vulnerable populations.
For years, humanitarian partners like Mercy Corps, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee have operated nutrition centers, mobile clinics, and emergency feeding programs for internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the northeast.
That lifeline is now unraveling.
According to local reports, numerous humanitarian organizations have scaled back operations or pulled out altogether, citing the sudden withdrawal of U.S. support and a lack of alternative funding.
Children on the Brink
In overcrowded IDP camps and remote villages, the fallout is stark. Children who once received weekly nutrition assessments, vitamin supplements, and therapeutic foods are now being turned away.
“Our community health workers used to screen 200 children a week for signs of malnutrition,” said a former Mercy Corps nutritionist in Maiduguri who asked not to be named. “Now, we don’t even have the staff or resources to do half of that. It’s devastating.”
UNICEF continues to operate in the region, but its services are overstretched. With limited funding, the agency can no longer meet the surging demand.
“UNICEF is doing everything it can, but it’s not enough,” said Jensen. “We urgently need more partners and more funding. Otherwise, this crisis will spiral further out of control.”
Political Fallout of Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts
The Trump administration’s decision to drastically reduce foreign aid has been met with widespread criticism from the international community, who warn it could undermine decades of progress in humanitarian response across Africa and beyond.
A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department defended the cuts, arguing that foreign assistance should be “more accountable and results-driven.” However, critics argue that the abrupt nature of the policy change has endangered the lives of the very people USAID was designed to help.
“The consequences are playing out in real time,” said an official from a European donor agency. “When you cut funding at this scale without a transition plan, you are abandoning millions who have no other support system.”
Call for Global Action
As the crisis unfolds, humanitarian organizations are urging the international community—particularly the European Union, United Nations, and African partners—to step in and fill the gap left by the United States.
“The world cannot afford to look away,” said Jensen. “We’re facing a potential famine in some pockets if urgent action is not taken. The situation is that serious.”
Local officials in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states have echoed the call, urging federal authorities and private donors to act swiftly. “The children of the northeast cannot wait,” said one official. “Every day without aid costs lives.”
Conclusion: A Generation at Risk
What is unfolding in north-eastern Nigeria is not just a funding crisis—it is a humanitarian catastrophe in the making. As USAID funding dries up, children are dying, health systems are collapsing, and entire communities are being pushed to the brink.
For mothers like Yagana Bulama, the tragedy is personal. For aid agencies, it is a race against time. And for the global community, it is a moral test.
“The situation is urgent,” Jensen warned once again. “The world must act—before more children die.”
