By Abdulwasiu Hassan
Rabiatu Jibrilla casts a wary glance at her two-year-old son and sees what every mother dreads.
"He looks pale, almost as if there's no blood in his body," she laments, waiting for her turn at a primary healthcare centre run by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Mubi in Adamawa State of northeast Nigeria.
The child was apparently healthy when he was born. "I weaned him off breastfeeding when he was a year and nine months old, after which he began losing weight," Rabiatu recounts to TRT Afrika.
The medical diagnosis didn't come as a surprise. Rabiatu's visibly emaciated infant son was a victim of chronic malnutrition, a problem that is becoming increasingly common in northern Nigeria.
"In the past year, clinics in the region have reported a 24% increase in the number of children suffering from malnutrition, compared to the previous year," says a Red Cross report.
The Geneva-based organisation flags the rise in malnutrition as an indication of how difficult it is for families in the Lake Chad region to put food on the table.
Growing magnitude
Estimates by humanitarian agencies suggest that about 1.6 million people in the Lake Chad region will experience food shortages in the months ahead, as the effects of conflict and climate change continue to bite harder.
"In the second quarter of the year, the ICRC registered a 48% increase in severe acute malnutrition with medical complications among children under five in health facilities it supports, compared to the same period in 2023," the report states.
Aliyu Dawobe, an ICRC communication specialist, points out that the signals portend bigger malnutrition challenges ahead.
"Clinics across Mubi in Adamawa, Maiduguri in Borno, and Damaturu in Yobe have reported a surge in malnutrition cases attributed to diminishing food security. The situation in northeast Nigeria is alarming," he tells TRT Afrika.
Shadow of violence
The more than decade-long insurgency in the region involving the armed Boko Haram group has precipitated the current food shortage.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least two million people displaced by the conflict are unable to return to their homes despite a lull in violence.
The recent floods that devastated Maiduguri, Mubi and parts of Yobe State added to the region's torment.
"Farmers had been hoping to harvest their crops within a few weeks when the floods struck, wiping out everything. This has made an already ravaged community even more vulnerable," says Dawobe.
The ICRC has identified the region's heavy reliance on subsistence farming as another reason for the food shortage. "The start of the harvesting season coincided with heavy floods after an arid lean season, the consequences of which have been devastating," it says.
Dawobe fears the next few months will see the food shortage escalate unless intervention is at scale.
"There seems to be no escape for the affected population from the combined effect of flooding, climate change, and conflict," he says.
Humanitarian battle
In April, Dawobe posted on his X handle the link to "the story of a nursing mother from northeast Nigeria, displaced multiple times".
Fatsuma and her family had walked five days from Baga in Borno State to reach Maiduguri after violence struck the town on the borders of Lake Chad some years ago.
Strapping her seven-month-old baby to her back and carrying her three-year-old in her arms, she had no choice but to undertake the arduous trek.
With her parents' help, Fatsuma moved to Geidam town, about 300km northwest of Maiduguri. Geidam, too, came under attack three years later, and Fatsuma's family was displaced again. This time, she moved to Gashua, about 100km west of Geidam.
Fatsuma's struggles to set up a home, regain her livelihood, and feed her children reflect the predicament of a large section of northeast Nigeria's population.
Observers say a collaborative effort is needed to arrest the situation before it gets out of hand.
"To address this situation, we need all hands on deck," Dawobe tells TRT Afrika. The government must ensure that civilians are protected and can access land for farming. Even in conflict situations, children and women must be respected."
For those like Rabiatu, life hinges on hope that the nightmare will end soon and they and their children can lead healthy lives without fear or hunger.
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