Nigeria and its Unprecedented Food Crisis
Currently, Nigeria’s northern Borno State- the state that has been the most affected by Nigeria’s insurgency, Boko Haram- is facing an unprecedented food crisis. According to the UN, approximately 420,000 children suffer from severely acute malnutrition- the deadliest form of malnutrition- in the state, and as a result, child mortality rates have reached a devastating high at 130 children per day if they are not attended to by a doctor. Even with doctors, volunteers, and non-profit organizations at the scene, the fight to save the lives of the thousands affected is still an uphill battle. For instance, the Economist, when covering the Nigerian food crisis, described the graphic and unfortunately common situations that physicians face at the clinic:
“At a tiny air force clinic in Bama, a wretched town in north-eastern Nigeria, a military doctor is trying to insert a drip into a starving child. He gives up on the two-year-old’s arms and labours with a needle just above his brow. But that vein has collapsed too, and blood seeps through the pinprick. Half-dressed and dirty, the baby is bundled off to a quieter room. ‘He’s going to die if I can’t get it in today,’ the medic says, following him out. “
The food crisis is primarily due to the recent attacks to the region by the terrorist group Boko Haram- which is affiliated to the Islamic State. The extremist group aimed establish an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria and have primarily attempted to accomplish this through force. Instead of trying to reach out to the neglected villagers of the Borno state, Boko Haram has pillaged food, raided villages, and poisoned water supplies. They have also held farmers in captivity, denying citizens their food supply unless their family supported Boko Haram’s efforts.
Even though Boko Haram has now been pushed back, landmines are still littered over the previously occupied territory- making it dangerous for farmers to start growing food on their land. As a result, there is a large underproduction of food in the state, producing only 500,000 tons of rice when the state demands 2.5 million tons, and despite importing $350,000,000 worth of rice in order to help appease the food shortage, there still isn’t nearly enough to feed Nigeria’s population.
The two primary organizations that have responded to this crisis are the World Food Programme (the branch of the UN that aims to ensure that states have a stable food supply), and the non-profit organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The World Food Programme has delivered food and cash to Nigeria, assisting approximately 160,000 people in October 2016. As for MSF, they have started a mass distribution of food in the region alongside the medication, medical supplies, and vaccinations that the organization has been previously distributing.
Whether Nigeria can recover from this food crisis in the foreseeable future is questionable considering the severity of the crisis and the fact Boko Haram still camps outside the regions borders, however, the international community has made tremendous effort to help resolve the issue and aim to keep on expanding their efforts.