Insurgency: US announces $102m in humanitarian assistance to northeast
- The United States announced donation of $102m to Nigeria
- The fund is meant to address the humanitarian crisis in the northeast and Lake Chad region
- The US government expressed hope that the fund will complement the Nigerian government’s efforts in moving Nigeria forward on a path to peace and prosperity
The United States ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, on Thursday, June 7, announced $102m in humanitarian assistance to address the shelter, health and food security needs of populations in the Lake Chad region and victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.
A statement from the US mission Information Office in Abuja stated that the funds for Nigeria represent the vast majority of the US government’s new $112m infusion for the Lake Chad region, The Punch reports.
Speaking at the ongoing National Conversation on the Humanitarian-Development –Peace Nexus, Symington disclosed that the assistance would be administered primarily through the US Agency for International Development’s offices of Food for Peace and Foreign Disaster Assistance, as well as the US State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration.
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“Our hope is that this new investment in humanitarian assistance will combine with the efforts of your government and people to move Nigeria forward on a path to peace and prosperity,” Symington stated.
He added: “The funding in today’s announcement will provide life-saving aid to hundreds of thousands of people, including emergency food assistance, nutrition treatment, shelter, health services, safe drinking water, services for survivors of sexual violence, and support to children who have been separated from their families.”
As of May 2018, an estimated 2.3 million people in the northeast experienced extreme food insecurity, largely due to widespread insecurity, protracted displacement, depleted assets, and the interruption of agricultural production throughout the region.
Overall, an estimated 7.7 million people in the northeast require urgent humanitarian assistance.
The United States is the largest donor for the humanitarian response in the Lake Chad Basin region, reportedly providing nearly $761m since 2017.
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Legit.ng previously reported that Nigeria’s top officials at the historic meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, said the meeting showed approval for the Buhari-led administration.
Buhari became the first sub-Saharan African leader to visit Trump at the White House for a bilateral talk that touched on security, economy, trade, investment and governance.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun said the meeting was “very fruitful, insightful and successful’’, adding that it was a deep-rooted meeting.
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Source: Legit.ng
