US Pledges $1 Billion in New Humanitarian Aid to Middle East, Africa

The United States has pledged about $1 billion in new humanitarian assistance funds to the Middle East and Africa, it announced in New York in conjunction with the UN General Assembly meetings. More than $720 million will go to Syrian refugees “in desperate needs across the region” as well as Syrians remaining in their country. New USAID funds of $108 million have been promised to help ameliorate South Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, which has been compounded by harsh weather, economic instability and the COVID-19 pandemic. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said these funds would also go to South Sudanese in other countries. The US also said some $152 million will be allocated toward the growing needs of countries in Africa’s Sahel region, including Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. The Sahel is dealing with growing population displacements and food insecurity.