US ends food aid for millions

Syria, a country battling poverty, hunger and insecurity, worst-affected. Other countries are  Lebanon and Jordan, where Syrian refugees are, besides Somalia, Afghanistan among others   —AP

“This could amount to  a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation,” World Food Programme

AP WASHINGTON

The Trump administration has ended funding to  UN World Food Programme emergency programmes helping keep millions alive in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and 11 other impoverished countries, many of them struggling with conflict, according to the organization and officials who spoke to The Associated Press.

The World Food Programme, the largest provider of food aid, appealed to the US to roll back the new cuts in a social media post Monday. The unexpected round of contract cancellations has targeted some of the last remaining humanitarian programmes run by the US Agency for International Development, according to two American  officials, a United Nations official and documents obtained by the AP.

“This could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation,” WFP said on X. The agency said it was in contact with the Trump administration “to urge for continued support” for lifesaving programmes and thanked the United States and other donors for past contributions.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials had pledged to spare emergency food programmes and other life-and-death aid from deep cuts to US foreign assistance. There was no immediate comment on Monday from the State Department.

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