Attachments
BACKGROUND: SUSPENSION OF US-FUNDED FOREIGN AID
On 20 January 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a “90-day pause on United States foreign development assistance” (WH 20/01/2025). On 24 January, the administration began sending stop-work orders (SWOs) on existing projects and suspending new aid projects. By 7 February, most USAID employees had been placed on administrative leave, with the exception of critical personnel (CNN 04/02/2025).
On 28 January, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a waiver for ‘life-saving’ humanitarian assistance (referred to as ‘the waiver’ throughout this analysis), which was supposed to allow the resumption of programmes involving life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance (US DOS 28/01/2025; AJ 27/01/2025; Reuters 27/01/2025). By 11 March, however, there was no clear information on waivers being granted for projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and even projects that seemingly fall within the eligibility criteria for waivers have been suspended (JAM 11/05/2025; Reuters 27/02/2025; HRW 10/02/2025).
The freezing of humanitarian funds from the US comes at a time of increasing instability caused by the conflict between the March 23 Movement (M23) and DRC armed forces in eastern DRC, specifically Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces – especially Goma city, North Kivu’s capital. The conflict between M23 and the national army has escalated since January 2025. From January–February 2025, at least 7,000 people have died because of conflict in eastern DRC, and there are 2.29 million IDPs in North and South Kivu alone (OCHA 08/03/2025; The Guardian 24/02/2025; TNA 13/02/2025; BBC 12/02/2025). This insecurity has already reduced humanitarian presence, potentially allowing armed groups in eastern DRC to escalate violence, increase cases of forced displacement, and further heighten the risk for children associated with armed forces and groups. In February 2025, M23 forced around 100,000 people to flee the IDP camps in Goma city. Host communities face increased pressure to provide refuge and assistance despite not having adequate resources themselves (WFP 21/02/2025; ACLED 10/02/2025; HRW 13/02/2025; UN 11/02/2025). Displacement and humanitarian needs in the eastern regions are expected to continue to rise in 2025.