The World Food Program said Friday it is suspending food and nutritional assistance across crisis-hit West and Central African countries as a result of U.S. and other global aid cuts that are grinding its operations to a halt.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to cut USAID and critical funding to the United Nations has left many aid agencies struggling to survive despite the worsening humanitarian crises across many parts of Africa, including areas where militant groups have continued to expand their operations.
While the timeline varies, food stocks are projected to last until around September for most of the affected countries, leaving millions of vulnerable people potentially without any emergency aid, according to the WFP.
“We are doing everything we can to prioritize the most life-saving activities, but without urgent support from our partners, our ability to respond is shrinking by the day. We need sustained funding to keep food flowing and hope alive,” Margot van der Velden, the WFP’s regional director, told The Associated Press.
Seven countries are affected in the region, with the suspension of operations already underway in Mauritania, Mali and the Central African Republic, where food stocks are projected to last only a few weeks. Aid distribution has already been significantly scaled down in camps for Nigerian refugees in neighboring Cameroon, according to the WFP.
Millions of people are expected to be immediately affected, according to WFP data seen by the AP, including 300,000 children in Nigeria at risk of “severe malnutrition, ultimately raising the risk of death”.
The International Rescue Committee this month said there was a 178% rise in inpatient admissions at its clinics from March to May in northern Nigeria, where 1.3 million people depend on WFP aid.
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