On Tuesday, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres, said that the UN allocated 20 million U.S. dollars for an urgent food security and nutrition campaign for hunger-hit northeast Nigeria.
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With $9 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund and $11 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, "we will support the government-led response efforts across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states," said Haq, when referring to the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund.
Haq also said that the assistance includes food, ready-to-eat meals, access to clean water, health care and agriculture support.
"The emergency funding will help jumpstart the response, but humanitarian partners need more to prevent widespread hunger and malnutrition," Haq said.
Haq also cited official UN reports stating that almost 700,000 children under five are likely to suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition this year in this region and more than 500,000 people may face emergency levels of food insecurity during the lean season from June to August.
According to official reports, the 1.3-billion-dollar humanitarian response plan for Nigeria this year is only 26 percent funded.