UN warns funding cuts threaten vital aid

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have sounded the alarm over severe funding shortfalls that are hindering life-saving humanitarian aid in countries including Nigeria, Burundi, and Colombia.

In Nigeria, nearly 70% of health services and 50% of nutrition support in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states have been slashed. OCHA says aid workers are now forced to focus only on the most critical needs, with only $70 million of the $298 million required for urgent support raised so far.

In Burundi, funding gaps have left over 11,000 women and girls without basic hygiene kits, while in Colombia, essential items like blankets and mosquito nets are no longer being distributed in areas such as Catatumbo.

UN officials are urging the international community to step up before the crisis deepens further, especially as food insecurity worsens with the approaching lean season.