The United States, through the USAID, has announced that Nigeria will benefit from its $550 million humanitarian assistance to countries ravaged by food insecurity, to provide life-saving food and health care for vulnerable groups that have been affected by a crisis.

This was announced in New York on Thursday, September 21, 2017, by the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mark Green.

He said, “Today I am announcing more than $550 million in additional humanitarian assistance from the United States to the millions of people affected by food insecurity and violence in Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia.”

He stated that whether it’s responding to an earthquake, drought, or conflict, America is committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with people in their hour of need and America would continue to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to those suffering as a result of famine, food insecurity, drought, and conflict, all of which he said was  driving the greatest movement of people since World War II.

He, however, admitted that political and not humanitarian assistance would solve the crises. In his words, he said, “We need long-term political solutions that address the drivers of conflict and insecurity. Those four famines or near-famines that I referred to – we have to remind ourselves they are entirely man-made. As global humanitarian needs grow, we are also working to build resilience to stave off additional needs for humanitarian assistance and emergency assistance in the future.”

This funding brings America’s total contribution to humanitarian assistance to over $2.4 billion for these four crises (famine, food insecurity, drought, and conflict) since the beginning of the year 2017.

Editor