On Monday, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), one of the largest assistance organisations in the world, declared that the US aid freeze under President Donald Trump has “forced” it to halt its humanitarian operations in over 20 countries.
The NRC issued a statement stating that “for the first time in our history, we will have to suspend ongoing and urgent humanitarian work for hundreds of thousands of people in nearly 20 countries affected by wars, disasters, and displacement.
“The United States’ support for our international humanitarian efforts has been stopped, partially suspended, or not reimbursed, prompting these drastic actions.
“In 2024, the NRC reported having “assisted 1.6 million people through US-supported programmes.”
The U.S. provided little under 20 per cent, or $150 million, of its funding last year, it said.
It has already had to cancel the planned distribution of “emergency support to 57,000 people in communities along the frontlines” in Ukraine, according to the NRC.
The statement claimed that it was “forced to lay off aid workers around the world,” including in Afghanistan, and that it would soon have to “halt US-funded lifesaving humanitarian programmes” in Sudan’s Darfur region and Burkina Faso.
The NRC claimed to have “millions of dollars in outstanding payment requests to the US government” and that “hundreds of thousands of people” would be “left without vital assistance previously supported by US humanitarian funding” if those payments were not delivered.
Trump has ordered the suspension of foreign aid and demanded the shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has disbursed US humanitarian help throughout the world since he returned to the White House last month.
