The UN has halted its humanitarian air service in northeast Nigeria after nine years due to a $5.4 million funding gap, threatening aid access for millions.
The United Nations has suspended its Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in northeast Nigeria after nearly a decade, citing severe funding shortages that threaten to cut off aid access to millions in conflict-affected areas. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in New York on Wednesday that “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 north-east Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve.”
The service, operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), had transported thousands of aid workers, medical supplies, and relief cargo into areas too dangerous to reach by road. WFP’s regional director, Margot van der Velden, stressed the urgency of new funds, warning that operations could further shrink. The shutdown coincides with WFP’s warning that 1.3 million people may soon lose access to emergency food aid, deepening Nigeria’s humanitarian crisis.