Trump’s $10 billion foreign aid freeze leaves fight against Al-Shabab, ISIS stalled

The Trump administration has adopted an aggressive and dramatic display in shaping America’s policies, including a sweeping freeze on US foreign assistance. This move has stranded programmes meant to counter anti-terror operations including al-Shabab bombmakers, containing the spread of al-Qaeda across West Africa and securing Islamic State prisoners in West Asia, according to reports.

Hours after taking office last month, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 90-day pause on foreign aid, arguing that the “foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests” and instead “serve to destabilise world peace.”

However, four current and former US officials, speaking anonymously to the Washington Post, warned that many of the halted programs are critical to addressing national security threats and their suspension could put the US and its allies at risk.

The US allocates nearly $10 billion annually to foreign security assistance, with more than half going to Israel, Egypt, and Ukraine—all of which were exempted from the decree. Other security allies in Africa and West Asia which receive a smaller portion of the foreign aid budget have seen critical security programmes come to a standstill after the decision.

Of particular concern is the Anti-Terrorism Assistance program, which received $264 million in 2023 to enhance allies’ capabilities to combat extremist threats. Other suspended initiatives include efforts to counter transnational organised crime, narcotics trafficking and to strengthen local law enforcement. Nearly all such programs are now on hold, according to reports.

Africa, Haiti on brink of humanitarian crisis

In Somalia, where the US has backed the government in its prolonged conflict with al-Shabab, a powerful al-Qaeda-aligned insurgent group, a US defense official warned that the sudden funding freeze has created security risks for the hundreds of American troops stationed there.

The suspension of aid also has consequences for West Africa, a global hotspot for extremism. Affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have taken control of large territories, killed thousands of civilians and repeatedly targeted government and military installations.

While many Africans anticipated that Trump’s “America First” policy would deprioritise their continent, they were unprepared for the abrupt halt in foreign aid from the world’s largest donor. This freeze has disrupted a wide range of projects, including disease response, girls’ education, and free school lunches.

Despite some exemptions to Trump’s order following global backlash, sub-Saharan Africa is likely to be the hardest-hit region, as most global aid programs face a 90-day pause for review. The US provided over $6.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to the region last year.

In Benin, a coastal nation with a strong democratic history now threatened by al-Qaeda-linked militants, a multiyear program to train the army for counterterrorism operations has reportedly been suspended. The country is grappling with deadly and complex attacks including a January 8 assault on a military post that killed around 30 soldiers.

Haiti faces its worst crisis in decades due to rampant gang violence. President Donald Trump’s efforts to freeze foreign aid and dismantle USAID—citing unspecified fraud and proposing staff cuts—are exacerbating the suffering of millions of Haitians who depend on this aid for survival.

Aid blockage Imperils 1.2 mn in Congo, 600,000 in Sudan

A humanitarian official told The Associated Press that at least 1.2 million people in Congo could lose life-saving support because of the aid freeze. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said almost half of their organization’s funding is from USAID.

Overall, more than $100 million for the organisation’s humanitarian programs in more than 30 countries worldwide has been halted, according to the official.

The block on aid came during a major escalation in fighting in eastern Congo, where millions of people were already displaced and where outbreaks of the mpox virus were declared a global health emergency last year.

In civil-war-torn Sudan, which is grappling with cholera, malaria, and measles, the aid freeze means 600,000 people will be at grave risk of catching and spreading those diseases, the official said.

Even with the exemption for life-saving services, the official said their organization had been told they should not resume any USAID-funded activities until they received notification that the waiver applies to them.

Aid freeze could cause millions more AIDS deaths: UN

President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend US overseas funding could result in millions more deaths from AIDS, the head of the UN’s programme for the illness warned Sunday.

The United States is the world’s largest provider of official development assistance, with most funds directed through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Trump ordered the bulk of US foreign assistance to be frozen for three months on returning to office in January, leaving global humanitarians scrambling to deal with the fallout.

“It’s dramatic in many countries,” UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima told AFP.

“I need to sound the alarm so that it’s very clear that this is a big part (of AIDS relief funding). If it goes away, people are going to die.”

The US move included a 90-day suspension of all work by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), although his administration later issued waivers for medication under the programme.

With inputs from agencies