At least 652 children died from malnutrition in Nigeria in last six months, MSF says

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ABUJA (Reuters) -At least 652 children died from malnutrition in the Nigerian state of Katsina in the first six months of 2025, Mèdecìns Sans Frontières said on Friday, an outcome it said it was due to funding cuts by international donors.

Katsina, in the north of the country, is plagued by insecurity.

“We are currently witnessing massive budget cuts, particularly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, which are having real impact on the treatment of malnourished children,” said MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders.

On Wednesday, the United Nations food agency said it will be forced to suspend food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in Nigeria’s insurgency-hit northeast at the end of July because stocks have run out.

Nigeria has budgeted 200 billion naira ($130 million) this year to cushion the shortfall from the withdrawal of funding to the health sector by the U.S.

MSF said the number of children in Katsina with the most severe form of malnutrition has risen by about 208% this year compared with the same period last year and “unfortunately 652 children have already died in our facilities since the beginning of 2025”.

Banditry is rife in Katsina where insecurity has displaced many people, forcing them to abandon their farms.

The government, alongside local civilian vigilante groups, has struggled to contain the activities of bandits.

($1 = 1,530.8800 naira)

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh, Editing by Chijioke Ohuocha and Toby Chopra)