US Aid Flows to Nigeria Anti-Landmine Efforts — For Now
Despite the dismantling of USAID, which was the main foreign aid arm in the US, the UN's land mine safety and removal project in Nigeria continues to receive funding for now.
When the United States suddenly decided to dismantle its foreign aid system earlier this year, the UN’s land mine safety and removal project in Nigeria braced for impact.
The sudden move by Washington has been catastrophic for people across the world and has also been confusing.
Despite everything, the program managed to survive thanks to funding from other donors.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance killed or injured 418 civilians in northeast Nigeria in 2024, more than double the year prior.
Workers knew that the severity of the crisis was no guarantee that the program would survive.
US President Donald Trump’s cuts came for everything, from malaria treatment to emergency food for starving people.
The dismantling of USAID has been challenging for people across the world.
The organization was the main foreign aid arm in the US.
In Nigeria, where a violent jihadist insurgency has been raging since Boko Haram's 2009 uprising, it has also been confusing.
Workers at the El-Miskin displacement camp in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, gather groups for education sessions funded by other donors but still adorned with USAID logos on their educational materials.
US funds help UNMAS provide education for rural farmers and displaced persons on how to detect mines, IEDs, and unexploded ordnance from the conflict — and how to report them for removal.
With funds from other donors, UNMAS also trains security personnel on disposal, a crucial job as Nigeria builds up a fledgling National Mine Action Center established in 2024.
Despite everything, after some initial uncertainty, another tranche of US funding, amounting to $225,000, arrived a few weeks ago.
This should last until March 2026.
However, if the United States eventually pulls out, 'our reach collapses,' said Edwin Faigmane, program chief for the UN Mine Action Service in Nigeria.
The sudden move by Washington has been catastrophic for people across the world and has also been confusing.
Despite everything, the program managed to survive thanks to funding from other donors.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance killed or injured 418 civilians in northeast Nigeria in 2024, more than double the year prior.
Workers knew that the severity of the crisis was no guarantee that the program would survive.
US President Donald Trump’s cuts came for everything, from malaria treatment to emergency food for starving people.
The dismantling of USAID has been challenging for people across the world.
The organization was the main foreign aid arm in the US.
In Nigeria, where a violent jihadist insurgency has been raging since Boko Haram's 2009 uprising, it has also been confusing.
Workers at the El-Miskin displacement camp in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, gather groups for education sessions funded by other donors but still adorned with USAID logos on their educational materials.
US funds help UNMAS provide education for rural farmers and displaced persons on how to detect mines, IEDs, and unexploded ordnance from the conflict — and how to report them for removal.
With funds from other donors, UNMAS also trains security personnel on disposal, a crucial job as Nigeria builds up a fledgling National Mine Action Center established in 2024.
Despite everything, after some initial uncertainty, another tranche of US funding, amounting to $225,000, arrived a few weeks ago.
This should last until March 2026.
However, if the United States eventually pulls out, 'our reach collapses,' said Edwin Faigmane, program chief for the UN Mine Action Service in Nigeria.
