Catholic groups say shrinking donor funding worsening humanitarian crises in Africa

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Donald Trump’s freeze on funds to help international organizations is affecting peace movements in Africa, according to experts.

The Jesuit Institute – along with a broad range of NGOs and charities – is expressing shock at the sudden freeze in donor funding as Western powers seek to rebuild their militaries or dedicate more resources to domestic priorities.

In an April 2 collective statement, the NGOs said the shrinking donor funding is worsening an already precarious humanitarian crises in countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] where years of war have rendered millions homeless and forced millions more to a live of pain and penury in refugee and IDP camps.

“The funding freeze has had a devastating impact on war-affected areas,” said Johan Viljoen, the Director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute of the Southern Africa Bishops Conference.

“Recent reports indicate that around 700,000 people have been displaced in  Goma [in eastern DRC], now living in IDP camps. Nearly half of the funding for their essential resources was previously provided by USAID, but with the freeze in place, that support has completely stopped, leaving them without the aid they urgently need,” he told Crux.

Father John Gbemboyo, Pastoral and Social Communication Coordinator in the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference noted that the aid freeze has had real consequences for real people, many of whom depended on such donor funding to access basic services.

“At times, food is unavailable for those in need, and shelter is lacking for people displaced by war. This crisis has severely impacted ordinary individuals—the true victims of conflict in their countries,” he told Crux.

The collective of NGOs in their statement explained that freezing aid is a choice that has had a “devastating impact on people facing already crippling humanitarian crises.”

“From the raging conflicts in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the makeshift shelters of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, impossible choices are being made to ration food, medicine, and services. These are not mere efficiencies, they are brutal decisions on which mother receives assistance and protection and which does not, which child lives or dies,” the statement reads.

With donor funding cut in half, the NGOs said they were even more shocked by the attitude of the west that is “increasing pressure to align humanitarian actions with political agendas.”

They underscored the need to “resist the politicization of aid” and insisted on the necessity to continue relying on the humanitarian principles of “humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence that enable us to strive to reach whoever is most in need, wherever they are, with vital assistance and protection.”

They emphasized that humanitarian organizations must become more needs-based, ensuring that those who are harder to reach are not overlooked.

This would require sharing data and resources to maintain a strong evidence base and using this information to advocate collectively to donors and partners.

It was also stated that local actors and communities should be fully involved in decisions about the assistance they receive, with priority given to local and community-led responses that are properly supported by national and international partners.

Additionally, the importance of ceding space where necessary was highlighted, whether due to greater needs elsewhere or to allow the best-placed actors to sustain their presence, ensuring that resource scarcity does not lead to competition.

They also warned against dependency on a single donor, opting more for a diversification of funding sources.

“We must recognize that when NGOs become too dependent on any one major donor it gives political actors unprecedented control over humanitarian decisions. To ensure our independence, we must diversify funding and partnerships,” they said.

Isidore Sakah, a senior official of Caritas Kumbo in Cameroon’s war-ravaged North West region, said Africa needs to get onto its own feet.

“Many African countries have been so dependent such that at one point it was as if without America and Europe, Africa would not exist,” he told Crux.

The freeze in funding could therefore offer Africa and other recipient countries a chance to reset their priorities.

One way of dealing with the situation, according to Viljoen, is to step up the fight against corruption. He said much of the aid that comes into Africa is stolen in the first place. He argued further that there might be no need for foreign humanitarian assistance if Africa found a way of stopping its wars.

“If there were no wars, there would be no refugees, and there would be no need to seek funding from the U.S. to support displaced populations,” Viljoen told Crux.

“How does it make sense that in countries like the DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, and others, conflict continues to escalate, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to rely on taxpayer-funded aid? This issue must be addressed. The times have changed, and African governments must adapt their approaches accordingly,” he said.

Ending wars, according to Gbembeyo, begins with bringing the warring parties to the dialogue table.

“Finding a lasting solution requires open dialogue with all stakeholders in a country, addressing key development challenges,” he told Crux.

“It means engaging with parties who may not share the same ideology, yet working toward a common goal that prioritizes the well-being of all. True peace is achieved when human lives remain at the heart of every decision and plan,” Gbembeyo said.

Sakah argued that it was time for Africa to begin rebuilding their economies, and stop dependency on foreign aid.

“Africa has both natural and human resources that can be used to rebuild the economies of African countries,” he said.