By Matija Šerić
Although the global summer of 2025 has been dominated by Trump’s tariffs and the wars in Ukraine and the Holy Land, there are other crucial international issues that receive little attention. One of the most severe is the hunger crisis in West and Central Africa, particularly in Africa’s most populous nation: Nigeria.
Despite its vast potential—with a population of around 230 million, large reserves of crude oil, natural gas, diamonds, minerals, and coal, and a strategically important position in West Africa—Nigeria’s situation is far from ideal. Instead of moving toward superpower status, the country is edging closer to becoming a failed (and crisis-ridden) state.
Nigeria’s Hunger Emergency
According to the latest United Nations reports, Nigeria is experiencing an “unprecedented hunger crisis.” The situation is alarming: nearly 31 million Nigerians (roughly the same as Ukraine’s population) are facing acute food insecurity—in other words, they are going hungry and require humanitarian aid simply to survive. This means that 13–14% of the population is slowly starving each day.
Margot van der Velden, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Regional Director for West and Central Africa, has warned that due to severe funding cuts starting in August, the agency will face “the harsh and painful reality of suspending humanitarian aid in conflict-devastated areas.” In other words, over 1.3 million people in Nigeria will lose access to food and nutritional assistance. Up to 150 nutrition clinics in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria—where Islamist militants are active—may be forced to close, putting 300,000 children at risk of severe malnutrition and leaving 700,000 displaced people “with no means of survival,” van der Velden warned.
Nigeria Hunger Crisis Exposed
Islamist Terror
For the past two decades, Islamist militants in northeastern Nigeria, such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have used violence to impose their radical interpretation of Islam. Founded in 2002, Boko Haram is notorious for its violent opposition to Western education and liberal values. In 2016, ISWAP split from Boko Haram, aligning itself with the global ISIS network.
Both groups are known for bombings, kidnappings, and guerrilla raids on villages and towns, spreading chaos and forcing thousands to flee their homes. They also destroy farmland, blocking people’s access to food.
The militants operate in Borno and surrounding states near the borders with Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, using difficult terrain as bases. Their destructive activities often prevent humanitarian organizations from delivering aid to those in desperate need. Ongoing military clashes create constant insecurity, further worsening hunger and poverty in an already impoverished region. Millions in these areas now live in fear and hopelessness.
Boko Haram: Black Terror in Africa
Drastic Cuts in Humanitarian Aid
For years, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was a key driver of humanitarian assistance in northeastern Nigeria, supporting numerous NGOs in providing food, shelter, and healthcare to millions in need. However, since Donald Trump’s return to power at the start of the year, this has begun to change. His administration has significantly slashed foreign aid funding and effectively dismantled USAID, accusing it of waste, corruption, and promoting a liberal agenda. Other Western donors (the EU, UK, and Canada) have also sharply reduced their contributions to international aid for the poor.
Van der Velden revealed that the WFP urgently needs $130 million to maintain its operations in Nigeria, but only 21% of that funding has been secured. The hunger crisis in Nigeria is not only the result of militant activity and reduced foreign aid, but also of political instability, inflation, declining food availability, and the weakening of the Nigerian naira.
A Regional Crisis
This humanitarian hunger crisis extends beyond Nigeria, affecting neighboring countries in West and Central Africa, including Mauritania, Mali, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Niger. WFP assistance has been cut by 60%, with Mali and Niger seeing emergency aid reductions of over 80%. Only 19% of the requested $65.1 million for Cameroon has been funded, while Mauritania’s $35.8 million request is only 39% funded, and the Central African Republic’s $29.7 million request is only 49% funded, among others. Without aid, people starve, tensions rise, and new conflicts erupt.
The Well-Fed Do Not Believe the Hungry
Yet it seems the international community is not particularly concerned about the hunger crisis in West and Central Africa. If it were, wealthy nations would have increased funding to counter the Trump administration’s deliberate dismantling of USAID. While it is true that the agency promoted a liberal agenda, its humanitarian arm was commendable, saving millions of lives across Africa, Asia, and the Global South.
Tragic shutdown of USAID could be catastrophic
Disease and Radicalization
Although hunger is not new to these regions, the situation has become even more severe now that Western donors are turning away, and the consequences could be devastating. Millions may die in agony, with no one left to bury the dead, potentially triggering new disease outbreaks that would further endanger already vulnerable communities. Desperate individuals may become radicalized, take up arms, and join Boko Haram, ISWAP, or other extremist groups offering a false promise of hope through jihad. Although such choices may seem irrational, hunger drives irrationality, and people turn to radical solutions. This is exactly what radical Islamists desire—and an opportunity they are ready to exploit.
A Wave of Migrants Toward Europe
In addition, tens of millions of people facing starvation may embark on a long march, seeking refuge in North Africa and eventually Europe. Through Algeria and Morocco, the path leads to the European continent via Spain. Millions could attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar into the EU. Stopping such large numbers without the use of force would be nearly impossible. A situation in which vast crowds attempt to enter the EU would generate new tensions and social divisions, raising the question of how Europe would cope. All of this could become reality if the humanitarian aid crisis is not addressed in the coming weeks and months.
