US President, Donald Trump, on Saturday pledged to donate $639million in aid to feed people facing starvation because of drought and conflict in North-East Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.
Trump’s pledge came during a working session of the G20 summit of world leaders in Hamburg, Germany, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Executive Director, David Beasley, said on the sidelines of the meeting, according to Reuters.
Acting Head, Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Rob Jenkins, confirmed that Nigeria will get $121million from the money.
Similarly, more than $191million would go to Yemen, $199million to South Sudan and nearly $126million for Somalia.
“With this new assistance, the United States is providing additional emergency food and nutrition assistance, life-saving medical care, improved sanitation, emergency shelter and protection for those who have been affected by conflict,” USAID said in a statement
Jenkins said conflicts in the four countries, had made it difficult to reach some communities in need of food.
“We’re in a dire situation right now. The situation in southern Ethiopia fortunately does not rise to the dire situation of the other four, but the situation is deteriorating and might very well be catastrophic without additional interventions,” he said
