Nairobi, 27 May, 2023 / 9:41 pm (ACI Africa).
The leadership of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, has decried the reduction of the United Kingdom’s (UK) humanitarian aid package for East Africa, describing the European nation’s move as “betrayal” of the suffering who depend on it for their survival.
At a United Nations pledging conference on Wednesday, May 24, UK’s international development minister, Andrew Mitchell, announced a revised humanitarian aid package for countries in East Africa, from £156m given in 2022 to £143m.
“This is a shameful betrayal of the people suffering and, despite their claims, shows the government is not taking this crisis seriously,” CAFOD Director, Christine Allen, says in a statement shared with ACI Africa Thursday, May 25.
Ms. Allen adds that CAFOD finds it unfortunate that the UK has decided to reduce the funding at a time when the East African region “has been crying out for support”.
“Drought has plagued East Africa for over five years. Millions are at risk of hunger and famine, yet the UK has decided to cut funding by £13m,” says the Director of the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales that is part of Caritas International.
