…as world body battles funding cuts, foresees looming humanitarian crisis

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has raised the alarm that 80,000 Nigerian children battling severe acute malnutrition could be cut off from lifesaving aid within weeks due to funding shortfalls.

The crisis, exacerbated by international donor fatigue and the suspension of U.S. foreign aid, threatens to derail critical interventions aimed at saving the lives of malnourished children in Nigeria and Ethiopia.

UNICEF’s deputy executive director, Kitty Van der Heijden, disclosed that the agency could run out of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) supplies for Nigerian children by the end of March, leaving thousands vulnerable to severe health complications and death.

“In Ethiopia, we may have to halt treatment for 70,000 children by May. In Nigeria, the situation is even more dire, with 80,000 at immediate risk,” she stated via a video link from Abuja.

UNICEF’s financial struggles were worsened by a 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign aid imposed by President Donald Trump upon his return to office in January. The abrupt decision, alongside further restrictions on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has disrupted the global humanitarian response.

“This funding crisis will become a child survival crisis,” Van der Heijden warned. “The sudden cut in aid has left us with no time to mitigate the impact.”

The funding shortfall has already begun taking a toll, with hospitals in Maiduguri and other parts of northern Nigeria struggling to cope with the influx of malnourished children. Van der Heijden recounted witnessing a young girl in a Maiduguri hospital whose skin was peeling due to extreme malnutrition.

Beyond Nigeria, Ethiopia has also been hit hard. UNICEF revealed that budget cuts have forced the closure of 23 mobile health clinics in the Afar region, reducing critical services for pregnant women and children.

With no immediate financial commitments from donors, UNICEF warns that the crisis could spiral into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe, leaving thousands of children at risk of starvation and preventable deaths.