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Nigeria: Millions of children face malnutrition amid ongoing conflict in the country's northeast

A malnourished child receives therapeutic milk during treatment at the stabilization centre in Damaturu.

Abuja (ICRC) - Fifteen years into the armed conflict in north-east Nigeria, food insecurity is threatening the lives of many of the country's youngest. Nearly 6.4 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition across the northeast, northwest, and north central regions [1], one of the most devastating and relentless consequences of the conflict.

When Zainab arrived at the nutritional stabilization centre in Damaturu, in Yobe State, Nigeria, her 22-month-old son, Umar was barely conscious in her arms. His face and feet were so swollen that his skin seemed stretched to the limit. “I thought I was going to lose him,” she recalled.

Zainab may not have known the medical name for what was happening to her son, but she knew he had not grown normally. Since birth, Umar had struggled, eating poorly, failing to gain weight, and growing weaker every day.

“The swelling was a sign of nutritional edema, a severe form of acute malnutrition usually caused by a prolonged lack of essential nutrients in the body,” explained Samira Hassan, a nurse at the Damaturu nutritional stabilization centre. Without urgent treatment, children with this condition rarely survive.

Children, as well as pregnant and lactating women, are most at risk. In hard-to-reach areas, especially in Borno and parts of Yobe, rates of severe acute malnutrition remain persistently high.

At the stabilization centre Umar received therapeutic feeding, medical care, and close monitoring. Within a week, the swelling began to subside and he gradually regained his appetite. He is now slowly recovering. 

[1]  Nigeria (Northeast, Northwest and North Central): Acute Malnutrition Situation for October - December 2025 and Projections for January - April 2026 and May - September 2026

Umar with his Mother

Umar sits with his mother while receiving treatment for severe acute malnutrition at the stabilization centre in Damaturu.

Umar's story reflects a broader trend

In Biu, south of Borno, Fatima, displaced from Sabon Gari, found herself caring for 13 children with almost nothing to feed them. “When we were displaced, we lost our source of livelihood,” she explained. “We depended on neighbours and odd jobs just to eat.”

Without access to farmland or stable income, the link between displacement, food insecurity and malnutrition becomes direct, and children are often the first to suffer. While the humanitarian sector faces mounting pressure from escalating violence and reduced funding, people’s needs continue to grow.

“We treat an average of more than 1,000 children under the age of five per year,” explained Bob Wonder Panama, a nutrition expert from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Biu. “To maintain the gains made during admission, children are given a two-week supply of ready-to-use therapeutic food when they are discharged.”

Medical care alone is not enough

The increase in malnutrition and its root causes require a comprehensive response. Treating children in health centres is not enough.

That is why the ICRC response combines clinical care with livelihood support, improved access to safe drinking water, hygiene promotion, and seasonal assistance to help families cope with the most difficult food producing periods and recover.

Support seed packages are diversified to promote a more balanced diet and greater intake of micronutrients. Pastoral communities and farmers receive support for animal health (vaccinations and community animal health workers) and cash for livestock or seeds, while the most vulnerable households receive cash assistance during the lean season to stabilize their consumption.
For families like Fatima's, this support has been transformative.

“Our situation changed when we received improved seeds during the rainy season and cash during the lean season,” she says. “We harvested enough corn, rice, and vegetables to feed the children three times a day.”

Medical care, seeds and the possibility of rain are what keep alive the hopes of mothers like Zainab and Fatima during this conflict.

ICRC response in 2025

  • More than 348,000 people, including over 16,000 children under five and more than 19,000 pregnant and lactating women, received treatment for severe acute malnutrition in primary care and stabilisation centres supported by the ICRC in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
  • In north-east Nigeria, 125 communities received community-based nutritional interventions, including family upper arm circumference measurement, infant and young child feeding initiatives, and supplementary feeding programmes.
  • During the 2025 lean season, over 17,000 vulnerable families received three rounds of cash assistance to meet their urgent food needs.
  • Agricultural support provided over 168,000 people engaged in rainy or dry season farming with climate-smart seeds, solar-powered irrigation systems and other inputs, improving access to food and income for families.
  • 26,000 persons received hygiene kits to help prevent disease outbreaks and improve overall living conditions.

For further information, please contact:
Aliyu Dawobe, ICRC Abuja, tel +234 803 953 4881, adawobe@icrc.org

Usman Kundili Bukar, ICRC Abuja, tel +234 802 717 4151, ukundilibukar@icrc.org

Mateo Jaramillo, ICRC Nairobi, tel : +254 716 897 265, mjaramillo@icrc.org