Report: UK to Slash 88 Percent of Aid for Lebanon
The British newspaper "The Independent" published information about what it described as "secret government plans" to make big cuts in overseas aid to many countries of the world, including Syria, Lebanon, Somalia and Sudan, that will start within a few weeks.
It said aid will be cut in half for Syria, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Libya, Nigeria and Lebanon, despite "the exacerbation of deep poverty and conflicts in light of the Corona pandemic."
The move comes after a reduction of a near-60 percent cut of aid provided to "war-torn Yemen", which was considered "the first stark evidence" of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s widely criticized decision to cut billions (5.5 billion dollars) annually from the aid budget.
Proposals for aid cuts amounted to 88 percent in "Lebanon, which is still reeling from the explosion of the Beirut port last year," according to information obtained by the investigation website Open Democracy.
The cuts include plans to stop Sudan’s CSSF budget, which is a fund to combat conflict and promote stability and security, and is part of Britain's aid program to Sudan, the British newspaper says.
Source: Naharnet
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