Over 600 malnourished children die in six months in Nigeria

LAGOS, July 26 (AFP): More than 600 malnourished children have died in northern Nigeria in six months after failing to receive proper care as foreign aid dries up, a medical charity has said.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said northern Nigeria, which already is struggling with an insurgency, is "currently facing an alarming malnutrition crisis".

Cases of the most severe and deadly form of malnutrition among children jumped by 208 percent between January and June compared with the same period last year.

"Unfortunately, 652 children have already died in our facilities since the beginning of 2025 due to a lack of timely access to care," the charity, which is known by its French initials, said in a statement released Friday.

Huge cuts in foreign aid sparked by US President Donald Trump's decision to slash spending overseas have combined with spiking living costs and a surge in jihadist attacks to create a dire situation in northern Nigeria.