U.S. approves humanitarian aid waiver for Sudan amid review
March 13, 2025 (UNITED NATIONS) – The U.S. has authorized a waiver for humanitarian assistance to Sudan, even as a broader review of foreign aid programs is underway, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, told the Security Council on Thursday.
The Security Council held a briefing on the situation in Sudan. Denmark and the UK, the penholder on the file, requested the meeting to address the protection of civilians and the humanitarian consequences of the conflict, including implications for healthcare and reports of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), particularly against women and children.
“Regarding humanitarian assistance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reviewing all U.S. foreign aid programs to ensure alignment with U.S. foreign policy, as mandated by President Trump’s Executive Order,” Shea said. “However, a waiver has been approved for lifesaving humanitarian aid to Sudan, including emergency food, medicine, shelter, and subsistence assistance.”
The United States has been Sudan’s largest single donor of humanitarian aid. In 2023, it contributed $800 million, representing approximately 46% of the UN’s response plan funds. Since the start of Fiscal Year 2023, U.S. humanitarian assistance to the Sudan response has exceeded $2.3 billion.
On Dec. 19, 2024, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced nearly $200 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Sudan, citing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. He also announced $30 million to support Sudanese civil society and efforts toward inclusive, civilian-led democratic governance.
Shea added that the United States continues to support the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, to use his good offices with the parties and seek a sustainable solution to the conflict through dialogue.
On Jan. 20, Trump issued an executive order freezing foreign assistance funding and ordering a review of all U.S. aid and development work abroad. Trump said much of foreign assistance was wasteful and advanced a “liberal agenda.”
On March 10, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rubio announced that the administration had completed a six-week review of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs, cutting 83% of them. Rubio said he would move the remaining aid programs under the State Department.
“In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping (approximately 1,000) to be now administered more effectively under the State Department,” he wrote, adding the 5,200 cancelled contracts had spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve the core national interests of the United States.