Us Ends Life-saving Food Aid For Millions. The World Food Program Calls It A ‘death Sentence’

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump management has ended funding to U.N. World Food Program emergency programs helping support millions live successful Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and 11 different impoverished countries, galore of them struggling pinch conflict, according to nan statement and officials who said to The Associated Press.

The World Food Program, nan largest supplier of nutrient aid, appealed to nan U.S. to rotation backmost nan caller cuts successful a social media post Monday. The unexpected information of statement cancellations has targeted immoderate of nan past remaining humanitarian programs tally by nan U.S. Agency for International Development, according to 2 U.S. officials, a United Nations charismatic and documents obtained by nan AP.

“This could magnitude to a decease condemnation for millions of group facing utmost hunger and starvation,” WFP said connected X.

The agency said it was successful interaction pinch nan Trump management “to impulse for continued support” for life-saving programs and thanked nan United States and different donors for past contributions.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and different management officials person pledged to spare emergency nutrient programs and different life-and-death assistance from heavy cuts to U.S. overseas assistance. There was nary contiguous remark Monday from nan State Department.

The projects were being canceled “for nan convenience of nan U.S. Government” at the guidance of Jeremy Lewin, a apical lieutenant at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency who was appointed to oversee nan elimination of USAID programs, according to termination notices sent to partners and viewed by nan AP.

Programs targeted by Trump administration

In Syria, a state battling poverty, hunger and insecurity after a 13-year civilian warfare and an insurgency by nan Islamic State group, immoderate $230 cardinal successful contracts pinch WFP and humanitarian groups was terminated successful caller days, according to a State Department archive detailing nan cuts that was obtained by nan AP.

The azygous biggest of nan targeted Syria programs, astatine $111 million, provided breadstuff and different regular nutrient to 1.5 cardinal people, nan archive says.

About 60 letters canceling contracts were sent complete nan past week. An charismatic pinch nan United Nations successful nan Middle East said each U.S. assistance to WFP nutrient programs crossed Yemen, different war-divided state that is facing one of nan world’s worst humanitarian disasters, has been stopped, apparently including nutrient that already had arrived successful distribution centers.

WFP besides received termination letters for U.S.-funded programs successful Lebanon and Jordan, wherever Syrian refugees would beryllium deed hardest, nan U.N. charismatic said.

Some of nan past remaining U.S. backing for cardinal programs successful Somalia, Afghanistan and nan confederate African federation of Zimbabwe besides was affected, including for those providing food, water, aesculapian attraction and shelter for group displaced by war, 1 of nan U.S. officials said.

The officials said connected information of anonymity because they were not authorized to remark publicly.

Current and erstwhile USAID experts and partners said immoderate $560 cardinal successful humanitarian assistance was trim to Afghanistan, including for emergency nutrient assistance, nan curen of severely malnourished babies, life-saving aesculapian care, safe drinking water, and emergency intelligence wellness curen for survivors of intersexual and beingness violence.

Another of nan notices, sent Friday, abruptly pulled U.S. backing for a programme pinch beardown support successful Congress that had sent young Afghan women overseas for schooling because of Taliban prohibitions connected women’s education, said an administrator for that project, which is tally by Texas A&M University.

The young women would now look return to Afghanistan, wherever their lives would beryllium successful danger, according to that administrator, who was not authorized to speak publically and said connected nan information of anonymity.

Larger effect of cutting aid

The abrupt extremity of WFP programs threatens immoderate of nan world’s astir susceptible populations, galore of which dangle connected specified nutrient aid, according to humanitarian groups. The U.S. and different donors agelong person seen efforts to easiness humanitarian crises arsenic being successful their strategical liking by stemming wide migration, conflicts and extremism, which struggles for resources tin bring.

WFP main Cindy McCain said successful a posting connected societal media that nan cuts “undermine world stability.”

Rubio had notified Congress and courts past period that USAID statement cuts were over, pinch astir 1,000 programs spared worldwide and much than 5,000 others eliminated. That added to nan daze of nan caller cuts.

The Trump management has accused USAID of wastefulness and advancing wide causes.

Trump’s frost connected each overseas assistance done USAID and nan State Department led to a brief shutdown of services astatine nan al-Hol camp, wherever tens of thousands of alleged Islamic State fighters and their families are kept nether guard.

That shutdown raised fears of an uprising aliases breakout astatine nan camp. U.S. officials quickly intervened to reconstruct services.

The State Department archive obtained by nan AP identifies 2 recently terminated contracts, tally by Save nan Children and nan U.N. Population Fund, which provided intelligence wellness services and different attraction to women and children astatine al-Hol. It was not instantly clear if immoderate different services were affected astatine nan camp.

The U.S. had been nan awesome funder of nan WFP, providing $4.5 cardinal of nan $9.8 cardinal successful donations to nan nutrient agency past year.

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Magdy reported from Cairo, and Biller from Rome. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee successful Washington contributed to this report.

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