The United States is providing an additional $380 million in aid for people affected by violence across Africa.
The humanitarian assistance will provide shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and other services for people in more than two dozen African countries.
With the new funding, the U.S. has provided more than $4 billion in humanitarian assistance since October 2022 for the needs of refugees, internally displaced people and others affected by conflict and crisis in Africa.
“The United States continues to lead as the largest single country provider of humanitarian assistance worldwide,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in announcing the aid July 20. “Our assistance provides urgent, life-saving support.”
In addition to shelter and drinking water, the assistance also will provide:
- Health care, mental health and psychosocial services.
- Educational resources.
- Protection for children, survivors of gender-based violence and persons with disabilities.
The funding continues U.S. government assistance for people affected or displaced by conflict in Africa. In addition to the $380 million for humanitarian response across the continent, the United States is the largest donor to the crisis in Sudan. Since violence erupted in Sudan an April, more than 1 million people have been displaced within the country and nearly 750,000 have been forced to flee to neighboring countries.
In June, the United States announced an additional $172 million for the crisis in Sudan, including $57 million to support refugees in neighboring Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. That announcement brought total funding for the Sudan crisis to more than $546 million since October 2022.
Amid a global food crisis, U.S. assistance for Africa in the past year also includes emergency food security assistance to African nations suffering from extreme hunger, as well as support for resilient food systems and supply markets in Africa.
The United States also supports programs that help refugees in countries including Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia to share experiences and start their own businesses.
“We will continue to play a leading role in responding to humanitarian needs both in the African continent and around the world,” Blinken said.
