U.S. on Friday announced additional 30 million dollars to support the people of northeast Nigeria, where years of brutality by Boko Haram and other militant groups has created a dire humanitarian crisis.

The U.S. Embassy in a statement in Abuja said that the additional funding brought the total U.S. humanitarian contribution in Nigeria to more than 298 million dollars since October 2015.

“This new funding will support the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Nigeria, which is providing critical food assistance, nutrition support, and vouchers that can be used to buy food where local markets are functional.

“This assistance is also helping communities return to their agricultural livelihoods where security allows.

“Humanitarian efforts are vital in northeast Nigeria, where approximately 8.5 million people require assistance, including 5.2 million people who need emergency food assistance, and more than 1.7 million people who are displaced,” the embassy said.

According to the statement U.S., since October 2015, has been the largest donor for the humanitarian response in the Lake Chad Basin region.

It added that U.S had provided more than 452 million dollars for people affected by the ongoing crisis.

It stated that the U.S. remained committed to working with the Government of Nigeria and other donors to provide humanitarian assistance to avert famine and support vulnerable communities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in April, the WFP reported a shortfall of approximately 224 million dollars to fund emergency operations, including life-saving food and nutrition assistance, in Nigeria through October.

In response to resource constraints, WFP began reducing some food rations for targeted populations during April.

The UN says food security is expected to deteriorate in mid-2017, and an estimated 5.2 million people in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states could face acute food insecurity between June and August

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