US aid freeze paralyzes NGOs working to help millions of internally displaced people in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — In a desolate makeshift camp on the fringes of Somalia's capital, tens of thousands of internally displaced people sit under the baking sun not sure if they can have access to food rations and medication following U.S. President Donald Trump's decree to freeze most of his country's foreign aid.

Trump’s decision, which will remain in force for 90 days following his Jan. 20 executive order, threatens to collapse the humanitarian aid economy that sustains the livelihoods of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The U.S. provides more foreign aid globally than any other country, budgeting about $60 billion in 2023, or about 1% of the U.S. budget.

Somalia, a Horn of Africa nation that struggles with a homegrown Islamic extremist insurgency, depends almost entirely on foreign aid to look after people displaced by armed conflict, amounting to 3 million, according to the UN refugee agency. The east African country also grapples with the effects of natural disasters, particularly drought, and food insecurity.

The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, spent $369 million in Somalia in 2021, supporting everything from sanitation programs to emergency nutrition with funds channeled through government and non-governmental groups.

Ayan Ali Hussein, chairwoman of the Dooxdoox IDP camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, said Trump’s order provoked almost immediate stop-work orders addressed to USAID partners, shutting down basic services.

Suddenly “there are no facilities to treat malnourished children,” she said. “Women who had experienced gender-based violence once had access to care, counseling, protection, medication, financial support, and clothing, none of which are available anymore.”

Hussein’s camp looks after eight sites, home to nearly 8,000 households of internally displaced Somalis who will “lack basic items like plastic sheets” for temporary shelter.

The suspension of USAID, “left a huge void in our lives” she said.

One of the camp's residents, an 85-year-old mother of eight, Ruqiya Abdulle Ubeyd, said she was shocked by Trump’s decision and asked "the U.S. government to restore the aid it used to give to vulnerable people,” she said.

The fund freeze has also caused major concern among those in need of urgent medical care, including people with HIV, as it disrupted the work of almost all NGOs in Somalia.

One of the hard-hit organizations is the Somali Young Doctors Association, or SOYDA, a key provider of medical assistance in the camps. Its founder, Dr. Abdiqani Sheikh Omar, previously a top official in Somalia’s health ministry, said the abruptness of Trump’s announcement has destabilized their programs.

In 2025, Somalia was to receive $125 million in USAID support for programs that could now become “null and void,” he said. To cope with funding shortages, his group decided to prioritize critical nutrition and hygiene programs.

Many of his workers also face immediate job losses, and the organization is “engaging our volunteer health professionals to cover this emergency staff funding gap through part-time shifts,” he said.

SODYA also provides medication for people who can’t afford it.

“Previously, whenever our children got sick, we would come straight to (the SODYA) center for help,” said Hussein Abikar, a father of five who lives in the camp with his family.

“There is no other place where we could find such support,” Abikar said.

CORRECTS WRONG ID - Dr. Abdiqani Sheikh Omar, Founder of Somali Young Doctors Association (SOYDA) and former Director General of Ministry of Health, Federal Government of Somalia, during an interview with Associated Press on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A Somali internally-displaced person (IDP) woman prepares a meal outside her makeshift home in Maslah camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A Somali internally-displaced person (IDP) child looks out from her family's makeshift home in Maslah camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A Somali internally-displaced person (IDP) child walks past makeshift homes in Maslah camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Ayan Ali Hussein, chairman of the Dooxdoox IDP camp speaks during an interview with Associated Press on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Somali internally-displaced persons (IDP) children look out from family's makeshift homes in Maslah camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A Somali internally-displaced person (IDP) woman pushing a child in a wheelchair walks past makeshift homes in Maslah camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A Somali internally-displaced person (IDP) child looks out from her family's makeshift home in Maslah camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

ESTAVAYER-LE-LAC, Switzerland (AP) — Two-time Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel is expected to return to competition this month after a serious crash last year, Tour de Romandie organizers said on Thursday.

Evenepoel sustained multiple fractures, a dislocated collarbone and lung contusions in December when he crashed into a vehicle while training in Belgium.

“From the first lists of entries received by the race organization, one name has already emerged that is sure to thrill the public: The prodigious Remco Evenepoel, double Olympic champion in Paris,” Tour de Romandie organizers said.

Evenepoel's Soudal Quick-Step team has yet to confirm his participation. The Tour de Romandie takes place in Switzerland from April 29-May 4.

The 25-year-old Evenepoel crashed into the open door of a Post Office van on Dec. 3. The impact was heavy enough to break the frame of his bicycle. He underwent successful surgery.

Evenepoel's main goal this season is the Tour de France in July.

He was third last year at cycling's biggest race. He went on to become the first cyclist to sweep the road race and time trial at an Olympic Games in Paris in August.

A two-time world champion, Evenepoel also won the Spanish Vuelta in 2022.

AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

FILE -Remco Evenepoel, of Belgium, celebrates winning the men's road cycling event, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)