UNICEF has issued an urgent warning that over 1.3 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria and Ethiopia could lose access to lifesaving treatment within weeks due to a critical funding shortfall.
The agency says it will run out of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) by May unless immediate funding is secured. This would leave 70,000 children in Ethiopia and 80,000 in Nigeria without essential nutritional support, with the Nigerian supply expected to be depleted as early as the end of March.
“This is not just a funding issue—it’s a child survival crisis,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kitty Van der Heijden during a press briefing from Abuja.
The situation has been aggravated by a sharp decline in donor support and the recent suspension of U.S. foreign aid—UNICEF’s largest funding source—following President Donald Trump’s return to office in January. The abrupt 90-day aid freeze has halted numerous USAID programs and disrupted global humanitarian operations.
Health services have also been affected. In Ethiopia’s Afar region, 23 mobile health clinics providing maternal and child care have shut down, leaving only seven operational.
UNICEF calls for urgent international support to prevent a collapse of essential child health and nutrition services across both countries.
