US aid cuts are already affecting humanitarian support in Cabo Delgado – DW

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US aid cuts are already affecting humanitarian support in Cabo Delgado – DW

1:03 CAT | 23 Mar 2025

File photo: DW

NGOs working in humanitarian assistance and social projects in the province of Cabo Delgado are already facing the impacts of the cut in US financial support. Some programs have been closed due to lack of resources.

The US government, under the leadership of Donald Trump, recently announced a cut of over 83% in external funding provided by USAID. Mozambique, one of the beneficiaries of this support, is now facing significant challenges in maintaining humanitarian and social programs in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country.

One of the entities most affected by the suspension of US funds is the Association of Young Promoters of Participatory Citizenship, (Associação de Jovens Promotores da Cidadania Participativa) which promotes social cohesion in the region.

The ‘Circle of Dialogues’ project the organization was implementing in 2024 was abruptly interrupted after the cancellation of funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“With the suspension [imposed by the Trump administration], we were forced to interrupt our activities, as we could not carry them out without funding. Currently, we are only maintaining actions that do not require large resources,” reports Sumaiya Ibraimo, the association’s humanitarian assistant.

Vulnerable population affected

The Forum of Non-Governmental Organizations of Cabo Delgado (FOCADE) warns that the cuts made by the US administration will directly affect the province’s vulnerable population.

FOCADE’s president, Frederico João, expresses concern about the situation. “It is devastating. At a time when Cabo Delgado, Nampula and part of Zambézia were simultaneously hit by a cyclone, the cut in humanitarian aid by the new US administration is extremely painful.”

In addition to the direct impact on those in need, the cut puts many humanitarian workers at risk of unemployment, João notes. “The impact is not limited to the beneficiaries of the assistance. The humanitarian agents themselves, who depend on these projects for their livelihood, are also affected. This means that, in addition to the humanitarian impact, there will be a severe social effect with the increase in unemployment,” he explains.

Given the continued vulnerabilities in Cabo Delgado, aggravated by the insecurity generated by terrorism and recent natural disasters that displaced thousands of inhabitants, it is becoming urgent to find alternatives to compensate for the lack of North American funding.

Sumaiya Ibraimo says it is difficult to establish new partnerships in the short term. “Right now, our hands are tied. Most of the activities we were developing require immediate resources. As a non-profit organization, we do not have the capacity to sustain these actions without external support.”

New funders

Meanwhile, the president of FOCADE suggests seeking new funders to reduce dependence on US aid.

“We must try to forget about US aid for a while, which is considerably larger than that of other donors. We should explore, for example, the support of the European Union and other development agencies, such as UKAID, to ensure the continuity of assistance to vulnerable populations,” he argues.

Frederico João also argues that, in a difficult scenario, internal solidarity should be strengthened, recommending that Mozambique increase production to reduce the need for external assistance.

READ; Trump officials propose plan revamping US foreign aid, memo says

However, the allocation of funds intended for humanitarian assistance has also been criticized. The president of the Kwendeleya Association, which works on social cohesion programs, charges that a significant part of the resources has not been effectively directed to the populations in need.

“Many institutions ended up spending more money on administrative costs than on implementing projects. This compromised the effectiveness of the assistance. The problem is not [only] with the government, but also with the organizations that received the funds and do not know how to apply them properly,” Gafuro says.

Speaking after a meeting held on Friday (14.03) with the US ambassador in Maputo, the Minister of Finance of Mozambique warned that the suspension of USAID funds would affect the 2025 state budget proposal.

Source: Deutsche Welle