Millions go hungry in Nigeria

RESURGENT jihadist attacks, huge cuts in foreign aid and a spiralling cost of living: hunger is looming in northeastern Nigeria, where more than a million people face starvation.

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Before insurgency upended daily life, Damboa was a regional farming hub. Today it stands on the frontline of survival.

Located around 90km south of Borno state capital Maiduguri, the town lies on the fringes of the Sambisa forest, a game reserve turned jihadist enclave.

While Nigeria’s 16-year-old insurgency has slowed since violence peaked around 2015, attacks have picked up since the beginning of the year due to a myriad of factors that saw jihadist groups strengthen and security forces stretched thin.

Almata Modu, 25, joined thousands of others fleeing the countryside into town in May, after jihadists overran her village. Rations are already meagre — and set to run out as Western aid dries up.

“We are safe, but the food is not enough,” Modu said, wearing a purple hijab, approaching an aid distribution centre in a police station.

Aminata Adamu, 36, agreed. She fled her home a decade ago and receives monthly rations for four registered family members - even though the family has since grown to 11.