Nigerian Minister of Health Isaac Adewole declared on 27 June a "nutrition emergency" in Borno State, where a large portion of the population is facing problems with access to food, water and health services due to the conflict in the north-east of the country. Information from recent rapid assessments raises the possibility that a famine could be occurring in the worst affected and less accessible pockets of the state. The March analysis of the Cadre harmonisé, conducted within the framework of the regional food crisis prevention and management mechanism (PREGEC), previously sounded the alarm on the critical situation in northern Nigeria: some 3 million people are facing a crisis situation (phase 3), including 1.86 million internally displaced people (IOM and NEMA, April 2016). The situation has been deteriorating since the start of the lean season, mostly due to the lack of market access and soaring food prices, notably triggered by the falling value of the naira. However, the precise situation remains unclear due to the lack of access to many areas of Borno State (see map).

 

For more information, read the NewsAlert,  jointly elaborated by PREGEC Members within the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA).