The United States has approved $32.5 million in aid to Nigeria, signalling a rare shift in longstanding U.S. foreign policy. The funding aims to provide food assistance and nutritional support to internally displaced people in conflict-ridden regions, the U.S. mission said. Northern Nigeria faces an “unprecedented hunger crisis” threatening over 1.3 million people and forcing closure of 150 nutrition clinics in Borno state.
In July, the World Food Program suspended food and nutritional assistance across West and Central Africa due to global aid cuts. Food stocks in many crisis-hit countries were projected to end around September, leaving millions vulnerable and without emergency assistance, the WFP warned.
The U.S. mission said the donation will aid 764,205 beneficiaries across the northeast and northwest of Africa’s most populous nation. The assistance includes nutrition top-ups for 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, plus 43,235 children, delivered through electronic food vouchers.
Attacks have surged in the northwest and north-central regions, where farmers clash over scarce land and water resources, heightening local insecurity. In June, a single attack in north-central Nigeria claimed 150 lives, highlighting the fragile security environment amid widespread violence and instability.
An ongoing insurgency in the northeast has killed approximately 35,000 civilians and displaced more than 2 million, according to United Nations figures. The new U.S. aid provides a lifeline for millions, offering hope amid starvation, displacement, and escalating conflict across Nigeria’s troubled regions.