The Mary Dinah Foundation, a humanitarian non-governmental organisation, has raised fresh concerns over rising malnutrition in conflict-affected communities across Chad, Sudan, and North-East Nigeria. The foundation stressed that malnutrition levels have reached 18 per cent in several refugee settlements.
Mary Dinah, founder and chief executive officer of the Foundation, sounded the alarm during a recent interview on CNN. She described the situation as a growing emergency unfolding quietly across displaced populations.
According to Dinah, the crisis is not defined by gunfire or breaking news alerts. It is visible in empty plates, weakened bodies, and a daily struggle for survival among families already pushed to the margins.
Host communities, many of which were vulnerable before the influx of displaced persons, are now under severe strain. Food supplies are shrinking while demand rises, causing the support systems that once sustained these communities to collapse.
Global acute malnutrition rates have reached 18 per cent in several refugee settlements along the eastern corridor of Chad. This figure represents a critical threshold in humanitarian terms and signals a population in distress.
At the centre of the crisis is the spillover from the conflict in Sudan, she said. Thousands of people continue to flee across the border into eastern Chad in search of safety. Instead, many arrive in overcrowded camps where resources are limited and humanitarian assistance is overstretched.
What is emerging is a layered crisis where displacement has intensified existing vulnerabilities. Communities that once relied on local food systems are now dependent on external aid that is often insufficient to meet growing needs.
Dinah noted that beyond the statistics lies a more difficult reality. In remote villages and informal settlements, families are forced to ration what little food they have. Meals are skipped and portions reduced as survival becomes a daily calculation for many households.
She said, pregnant women face even greater risks as their nutritional needs are higher, yet access to food and basic healthcare continues to decline. This creates a cycle of vulnerability that affects both mothers and their unborn children.
“Children remain the most exposed group. In overcrowded settlements, access to clean water and sanitation is limited, and health services are often out of reach. Malnutrition rarely occurs in isolation; it is reinforced by disease, poor hygiene, and inadequate maternal care”.
The Foundation maintained that the consequences are dire, with children facing increased risks of stunting, weakened immunity, and long-term developmental challenges. The crisis is not confined to Chad.
“In North-East Nigeria, years of insurgency have left communities fragile and heavily dependent on humanitarian assistance. Food systems have been disrupted and livelihoods lost, leaving recovery slow and uneven.
In Sudan, ongoing conflict continues to displace populations both internally and across borders. This has created a regional emergency showing little sign of easing”.
She maintained that the movement of people across fragile borders is placing additional pressure on already strained humanitarian systems. Against this backdrop, the Mary Dinah Foundation, working with the United States government and local partners, is expanding interventions through the Zero Hunger Nutrition Programme.
She noted that the initiative goes beyond traditional food distribution by integrating support for maternal, infant, and young child feeding with water, sanitation, and hygiene education. It also links communities to immunization services and antenatal care.
This approach reflects a broader shift in humanitarian response where malnutrition is addressed as part of a wider ecosystem. Programmes are increasingly incorporating support for survivors of gender-based violence and mental health services.
Despite these efforts, the scale of the crisis remains daunting. As conflicts persist and displacement rises, pressure on humanitarian systems is expected to increase.
Without sustained investment and stronger coordination among stakeholders, the crisis will deepen. Gains made through existing interventions could be undermined by growing demand and limited resources.
Behind the 18 per cent figure are families struggling to cope and children growing up without the nutrition they need to thrive. Without urgent action, this crisis may define the future of an entire generation.