Niger Food Insecurity Persists Amid Conflict and Drought

The Famine Early Warning System Network reports that acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3) persists in Niger's Diffa, Tillabéri, and Tahoua regions from September 2026 to January 2027. Conflicts have led to population displacement and land abandonment, reducing livelihoods and incomes for poor households and displaced persons. The prolonged lean season is exacerbated by delayed rains, limiting access to markets and exacerbating food consumption deficits. Households are resorting to negative coping strategies, including buying food on credit and excessive borrowing. In unaffected areas, Stress (IPC Phase 2) persists due to delayed crop development and limited new harvests. However, new harvests offer opportunities for poor households to cover their food needs, but they cannot engage in non-food expenses without resorting to negative coping strategies.