Severe Child Malnutrition Rises By Around 40% In Nigeria



Cases of severe child malnutrition have increased by around 40% this year in northern Nigeria, a country devastated by attacks by armed groups, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned today.


According to the humanitarian organization, child malnutrition increased by 24% this year and serious cases by 39.5% in hospitals supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross.



Hospitals recorded "6,824 cases in the third quarter of 2023" of child malnutrition and "8,470 cases in the third quarter of 2024", according to a statement from the Red Cross.


According to several non-governmental organizations, recent floods, partly caused by global warming, are affecting harvests and worsening the food crisis in the region.


In early October, the United Nations declared that it had released five million dollars to help flood victims in Nigeria.


"Millions of people" were already in a situation of serious food insecurity before the floods, due to the country's economic difficulties, declared the United Nations coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, in early October.


Additionally, northern Nigeria has been hit for 15 years by attacks led by Boko Haram and other extremist groups, such as the Islamic State. The insurgency has caused 40,000 deaths and forced the displacement of two million people since 2009.


More than six million people in the Lake Chad region will face food shortages in the coming months "due to conflict and the effects of climate change", the Red Cross said, citing estimates from humanitarian organizations on the ground.


"We are intensifying our support, but it will not be enough because the needs far exceed our capacity," said the head of the sub-delegation in the northeast of the country, Francesca Piccin.