A newspaper reveals “secret British plans” about aid to several countries, including Syria

A British newspaper reported that major cuts were made in foreign aid to many of the world’s poorest countries, within weeks, according to secret government plans.

The British newspaper, “The Independent,” reported what it described as “secret government plans by members of parliament, to make major cuts in foreign aid to many countries of the world.”

Under these plans, aid will be cut in half for Syria, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Libya, Nigeria and Lebanon, despite “the exacerbation of extreme poverty and conflicts in light of the Corona pandemic,” according to the newspaper.

These plans come after reducing nearly 60% of the aid provided to “Yemen”, and are considered “the first blatant evidence” of the decision of the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who was widely criticized after a decision to cut 4 billion pounds (5.5 billion dollars) annually. From the foreign aid budget.

Plans for cuts of up to 88% have been revealed to Lebanon, which is still reeling from the Beirut port explosion last year, according to information obtained by the survey site, Open Democracy.

According to information reviewed by the Independent, the cuts also include plans to halt the entire budget of “CSSF” in Sudan, which is a fund to combat conflict and promote stability and security, and is part of Britain’s aid program to Sudan.

The plans were condemned by Andrew Mitchell, a former Conservative Minister for International Development, as “inconsistent with a commitment to protect humanitarian relief” from cuts.

Christian Aid in southern Sudan warned that “cuts in the reported range come at a bad time for a country going through a crisis.”

For his part, Mahmoud Mohamed Hassan, Director of Save the Children in Somalia, warned that “these reports are worse than we feared, and if they are correct, their impact on children will be very bad.”

The cuts are expected to begin next April. And only about 3.5 billion pounds sterling is available for direct aid projects, and it is not yet known which countries will “suffer the most damage,” according to the newspaper.

The figures obtained by The Independent show that the rates of reductions will be 88% in Lebanon, 67% in Syria, 63% in Libya, 60% in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 59% in South Sudan, 58% in Nigeria, and 50% in the Western Balkans.

In The Independent’s view, it also includes plans to remove the “entire CSSF budget” in Sudan, and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund that is part of the aid program.

Christian Aid in Southern Sudan also warned that “cuts in the reported range could not come at a worse time for a country in crisis.”

British MPs made repeated attempts to obtain details of the planned cuts, but these were rejected by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The Disaster Emergency Committee recently warned of famine in many of those countries, as the epidemic feeds the current economic and humanitarian crisis.

She said that the number of people in need of humanitarian aid in Somalia has increased by 700,000, and that 190,000 children have not been vaccinated in the past year.

The FCDO declined to comment on the numbers, but said that the pandemic “forced us to make difficult but necessary decisions, including a temporary reduction in the total amount we spend on aid.”

Source: Independent