THE United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has sounded an urgent alarm over a rapidly worsening hunger crisis across West and Central Africa, warning that the number of people facing severe food insecurity is set to reach unprecedented levels this year.
More than 36 million people in the region are currently struggling to access enough food, with that figure projected to soar to 52.7 million during the upcoming lean season between June and August 2025. This includes an estimated 3.4 million people in emergency food insecurity (IPC Phase 4) and at least 2,600 facing catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5) in northern Mali6.
The crisis is being driven by a deadly combination of persistent conflict, mass displacement, economic shocks, and increasingly severe climate-related disasters. In 2024 alone, devastating floods affected more than six million people across the region, while other areas have suffered unprecedented droughts, wiping out crops and livestock.
Ollo Sib, Senior Research, Assessment and Monitoring Regional Advisor for the WFP, described the situation in the Sahel as “dire,” with millions of farmers, particularly in the Lake Chad basin, deeply concerned about their ability to feed their families. In some regions, the price of staple foods has risen by 50 percent compared to the five-year average, and the income from selling livestock is now barely enough to purchase even half a bag of millet.
“These people have mostly left everything behind,” said Margot van der Velden, WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “They have no livelihoods, and there’s often no access to land and basic services. They’re often entirely reliant on the local community or what host governments can provide”.
Despite the escalating needs, the WFP faces a critical funding shortfall. The agency urgently requires $710 million to continue lifesaving assistance for the most vulnerable people over the next six months. Without immediate financial support, WFP warns it will be forced to further reduce both the number of people it can help and the size of food rations distributed.
Already, millions have seen their food assistance cut during the hardest months of the year. In April, WFP was forced to suspend aid for two million crisis-affected people across the Sahel and Nigeria due to lack of funds7. The agency’s response plan is currently only 40 percent funded, and recent reductions in foreign aid-especially following the suspension of USAID programs and cuts by other Western donors-have compounded the crisis.
“We are at a tipping point, and millions of lives are at stake,” van der Velden warned. “Without immediate funding, WFP will be forced to scale down even further both in the number of people reached and the size of food rations distributed. The consequences are devastating: communities already in crisis, many have been forced to sell their last assets and skip meals, risking long-term effects to their health and life”.
Displacement and Malnutrition on the Rise
Conflict and violence have forced millions to flee their homes, making West Africa one of the fastest-growing displacement crises globally. Refugees and internally displaced people are among the hardest hit, often entirely dependent on humanitarian aid for survival9. In Chad alone, more than 1.4 million refugees-mostly from Sudan-are expected to face severe hunger in the coming months.
Malnutrition rates are also climbing, particularly among children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women. The WFP has already reached three million of the most vulnerable people with lifesaving assistance this year, but this is less than half the nearly 12 million people it had originally planned to support.
The WFP is urging the international community to act now to prevent the crisis from spiraling further out of control. The agency emphasizes that lifesaving activities must take priority, and a massive investment is needed to scale up operations and coordinate an effective response.
“Now is the time to act and address this urgent food insecurity,” Ollo Sib stressed, highlighting the need for all humanitarian actors to come together to respond to the crisis.
Without swift intervention and increased funding, millions across West and Central Africa risk falling deeper into hunger and desperation as the lean season approaches. The WFP warns that, without help, many will be forced to migrate, starve, or resort to desperate measures for survival.
