Today, the United States announced nearly $152 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel region countries of Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Mali. This funding includes nearly $67 million from the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and more than $85 million from U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance.
Significant gaps in meeting humanitarian needs, in addition to environmental concerns such as major flooding across the region, have been further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our assistance will provide critical protection, livelihoods, shelter, essential healthcare, emergency food assistance, safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services for refugees, internally displaced people, and vulnerable host communities.
The United States remains the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance, both in the Sahel region and globally. We appreciate contributions from donors to date, but recognize the significant needs that remain and call on current and new donors to make new contributions or to fulfill existing pledges to make this life saving assistance possible.
