The United Nations has suspended a vital air service in Nigeria’s northeast, citing severe funding shortfalls that threaten to worsen one of Africa’s most entrenched humanitarian crises.
The U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), ended its fixed-wing operations last week after nearly a decade of flying aid workers and supplies into conflict zones.
The shutdown underscores the mounting strain on relief efforts as donor support continues to dwindle.
“In 2024, UNHAS fixed-wing flights carried more than 9,000 passengers. Already this year, 4,500 humanitarian staff have relied on the service to reach affected areas,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Wednesday.
“UNHAS cannot continue without funding: \$5.4 million is needed to remain operational for the next six months. Without this funding, the humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve.”
For nine years, the service transported humanitarian personnel, medical supplies, and essential cargo to Borno and Yobe states, the epicenter of the conflict. With roads still plagued by insecurity, air transport has been a lifeline.
“In a country that has experienced 16 years of conflict, where road transport remains extremely dangerous, air transport is essential,” Dujarric stressed.
Margot van der Velden, WFP’s regional director for West and Central Africa, warned that the financial situation is dire. “We urgently require \$5.4 million to sustain food and nutrition operations in the region for just six months,” she said.
The shutdown comes as WFP itself grapples with severe financial constraints.
In July, the agency cautioned it might be forced to suspend emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in northeastern Nigeria.
That scenario is now drawing closer, raising fears that communities will be forced into desperate choices: enduring worsening hunger, migrating under unsafe conditions, or falling prey to extremist groups that continue to exploit the region’s vulnerabilities.
While Nigeria’s government has stepped up, becoming the largest financier of the emergency response in the northeast, international contributions remain critical.
“The humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve,” Dujarric reiterated, urging donors to act swiftly.
The appeal comes as aid agencies worldwide confront shrinking budgets, pressured by global economic downturns and competing crises from Gaza to Sudan to Ukraine.