The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced it will suspend food and nutrition assistance to 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria by the end of July due to the complete depletion of aid supplies.

The agency confirmed on Wednesday that its warehouses in Nigeria ran out of food and nutrition stock earlier this month, with the final round of distributions currently underway. Once completed, all life-saving support will cease unless new funding is urgently secured.

“This is no longer just a humanitarian crisis, it’s a growing threat to regional stability, as families pushed beyond their limits are left with nowhere to turn,” said David Stevenson, WFP Country Director for Nigeria.

The agency attributed the crisis to a critical funding shortfall, worsened by global reductions in humanitarian assistance. It noted that USAID — which funded 45% of WFP’s northeast operations in 2024 — has significantly cut its contributions. The withdrawal of support has crippled the agency’s ability to sustain its programmes.

Stevenson warned that the disruption could force vulnerable populations to flee in search of food or resort to desperate survival strategies.

“Others will adopt negative coping mechanisms – including potentially joining insurgent groups – to survive,” he said.

In addition to pausing food distributions, WFP is also shutting down over 150 nutrition clinics it supports in Borno and Yobe States.

The closures will halt treatment for more than 300,000 children under the age of two who rely on therapeutic feeding.

The suspension of aid comes amid a surge in attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), heightening insecurity and displacing more communities across the region. Aid organisations estimate that violence in northeastern Nigeria has killed hundreds and displaced at least two million people.

WFP said it had planned to expand its reach to an additional 720,000 people in the second half of 2025, but its entire humanitarian operation in the region is now at risk. The agency estimates it needs $131 million to continue operations through the end of the year.