FROM THE FIELD: 4.4 million Nigerians facing ‘catastrophic food conditions’

Some 4.4 million people in Nigeria are facing what the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, is describing as “catastrophic food conditions”.

A combination of insecurity caused by terrorist groups, the effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, have meant that people in the northeast of the country are struggling to get enough to eat; OCHA says 775,000 are at "extreme risk".

A mother and daughter receive food from the World Food Programme at a camp for displaced people in Maiduguri, Nigeria. UNOCHA/Damilola Onafuwa

Many are farmers but are unable to grow their crops fearing for their personal safety, and so rely on humanitarian support "as their only lifeline".

Read more here about how humanitarian agencies continue to face up to the increasing challenges of getting aid to the people who need it most.

Find out more about OCHA's work in Nigeria.

Visit UN News for more.