People living in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kebbi states, all in the northwest, have been hit by the persistent violence, mainly armed banditry and kidnappings. Last year, more than 2,000 people were killed in more than 1,000 violent incidents in the region, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. As well as being displaced from their homes, people have lost their livelihoods, and are often no longer able to reach their farms for security reasons. They struggle to find food, and accessing healthcare and other basic services has become increasingly difficult and dangerous.
The crisis has seen rates of malnutrition and other diseases spiral. It is estimated that around 2.6 million children have severe acute malnutrition in the country, of whom 532,163 are in Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara states, according to national surveys conducted by UNICEF and authorities.
Last year, MSF medical teams working in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Kano states treated 171,465 malnourished children as outpatients and admitted 32,104 children for life-threatening severe acute malnutrition – a 14 per cent rise on the previous year. In Katsina, our teams found high levels of acute malnutrition in 2023 with 17.4 per cent of the surveyed children suffering from acute malnutrition in Jibia local government area at the beginning of the lean season – not even when access to food is the most difficult.
The high rate of admissions to inpatient facilities has been accompanied by alarming mortality rates. In one of our supported facilities in Zamfara state, it reached 23.1 per cent. Sadly, many children are dying within 48 hours after arriving in critical condition, too late to be saved due to the barriers in reaching healthcare. Overall, 854 children admitted to MSF facilities in the northwest died 24- to 48-hours after admission in 2023.
Fonte original msf.org
