Good afternoon. Across Mozambique, aid agencies are likely to be in a mood of anxiety, if not actual panic, in the wake of the United States government’s decision on Friday that it was suspending all foreign aid for 90 days, pending a review to see if aid programmes are in line with President Donald Trump’s policies.
The practical implications of the order issued by the Department of State are not entirely clear. It seems that all existing work has to be stopped, but it remains to be confirmed whether staff hired as a result of aid programmes can still be paid.
In any case, agencies need to confront the possibility that, following the review due by March, their funding will be cut. The consequences for public health and various public services in Mozambique would be disastrous.
The US is the single biggest donor country to Mozambique by a long way. It provides nationwide HIV and AIDS treatment through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which funds over 2,700 nurses. It is the majority contributor to the Global Fund, which supports action against malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV and AIDS. The US also funds about 60% of the United Nations’ already underfunded Humanitarian Response Programme, including food, healthcare and sanitation work. Some, but not all, of the latter is protected by an exemption allowing emergency food relief to go ahead. It is quite likely that some healthcare NGOs will not be viable without US support. Some are already suspending operations.
Mozambique already struggles to provide adequate healthcare and sanitation to its poorest citizens, something that worsens the spread of diseases like cholera and malaria; the country has one of the highest incidences of malaria in the world. Some 141 people are reported to have died of cholera in an outbreak in 2022-23, and 356 malaria deaths among hospital patients were recorded in 2023, although the total number of malaria deaths is thought to be higher. One of the main donors to anti-malaria projects up to now has been the US government.
A reduction in US funding would mean not only less treatment, but also less training of healthcare workers and less public education, in a country where there is a great deal of misinformation and superstition surrounding public health campaigns; witness the repeated attacks on healthcare workers trying to control cholera outbreaks.
Something that would potentially harden the new Trump administration’s attitude to Mozambique is the country’s record on controlling drug trafficking. Mozambique is a major port of entry for drugs entering Africa from Asia and South America. The Mozambican authorities have failed to allay the concerns of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and that may become more of a problem if US foreign policy places greater emphasis on fighting crime that affects the United States.
Another dark cloud on the horizon for Mozambique is the future of the US government-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation’s so-called Compact II, a $537m package of funding which is mainly destined to pay for a new bridge to carry the N1 highway over the Licungo river in Zambézia province. This funding is subject to an assessment before it is agreed, and that assessment will include considering the state of human rights in Mozambique in recent months. Given that over 300 people have been shot dead by police amid protests sparked by election fraud, the results may not be favourable.
A cold shoulder from the US government would undoubtedly cost lives and help to perpetuate poverty in Mozambique. It would also highlight how much the Mozambican government has failed to deliver social justice for a people that are increasingly impoverished and constantly lack basic services.
Agenda:
- Today: TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanné begins visit to Africa (see below)
- Tomorrow: Council of Ministers’ weekly meeting
- Wednesday: President Daniel Chapo meets representatives of political parties with seats in parliament (postponed from today)
Today’s headlines:
- USAID suspends all projects in Mozambique (Carta de Moçambique)
- Armed group kidnaps seven children in Mocímboa da Praia (Carta de Moçambique)
- Alleged insurgents create panic in Muidumbe (Lusa)
- Protests over local funding affect tourism in Bazaruto (DW, O País)
- Pro-Mondlane protesters sing national anthem in streets of Maputo (Lusa)
- TotalEnergies boss tours East Africa (Africa Intelligence)
USAID suspends all projects in Mozambique (Carta de Moçambique)
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ordered a halt to all projects it funds in Mozambique on Friday. The stoppage came after an order by US President Donald Trump suspending US foreign aid worldwide for a period of 90 days, pending a review. In Mozambique, USAID spends just over $1bn a year on areas such as education, sanitation, agriculture, health and responses to natural disasters. One of the projects at risk is the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Compact II, valued at $537m, of which $500m comes from the US government.
Armed group kidnaps seven children in Mocímboa da Praia (Carta de Moçambique)
An armed group on Thursday kidnapped seven children in the village of Mumu, in the area of Oasse in Mocímboa da Praia district, Cabo Delgado province. The kidnappers, who are suspected of being insurgents, entered the village during the night and climbed into two houses, from where they came out and captured the children, all of whom were male. Locals said that it is unclear why the boys were abducted, saying that the insurgents stopped abducting teenagers to swell their ranks many months ago.