Millions of African Children at Risk Due to Aid Cuts

Millions of children in Africa are facing a deadly risk of malnutrition due to cuts in international aid. The NGO Save the Children warns that emergency food supplies are running out in Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan.

According to Al Jazeera, in Nigeria, 3.5 million children under the age of five are at risk of severe acute malnutrition without treatment and nutritional support. Yvonne Arunga of Save the Children emphasized the criticality of the situation, as stocks of "ready-to-use therapeutic food" (RUTF) are running out.

Funding cuts, led by the United States, have drastically reduced foreign aid. UN's Tom Fletcher stated that they were forced to triage people's survival. MSF reported that at least 652 malnourished children died in their facilities in northern Nigeria in the first half of 2025 due to lack of timely care.

Save the Children reported that in Kenya, staff are trying to procure food from other facilities. Approximately 105,000 boxes of RUTF are needed in Kenya by the end of the year, but only 79,000 have been secured. Overall, the lack of funding could disrupt the treatment of 15.6 million people in 18 countries.

The situation is expected to worsen further in 2026.