Nigeria, three others get Trump’s $639 million aid

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday promised 639 million dollars in aid to feed people facing starvation because of drought and conflict in Northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

Of the funding, 121 million dollars would go to Nigeria, according to Rob Jenkins, Acting Head, Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Similarly, more than 191 million dollars would go to Yemen, 199 million dollars to South Sudan and nearly 126 million dollars for Somalia.

“With this new assistance, the United States is providing additional emergency food and nutrition assistance, life-saving medical care, improved sanitation, emergency shelter and protection for those who have been affected by conflict,” USAID said in a statement

Jenkins said conflicts in all the four countries had made it difficult to reach some communities in need of food.

“We’re in a dire situation right now. The situation in southern Ethiopia fortunately does not rise to the dire situation of the other four, but the situation is deteriorating and might very well be catastrophic without additional interventions,” he said.

-NAN