The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) announced on Monday that it would suspend humanitarian operations in nearly 20 countries, including Afghanistan, citing the partial or complete halt of U.S. funding. The move threatens assistance for hundreds of thousands of people affected by war, displacement, and natural disasters.
In a statement, the organization called the funding freeze an unprecedented setback.
“We have, in our 79-year history, never experienced such an abrupt discontinuation of aid funding from any of our many donor nations, intergovernmental organizations, or private donor agencies,” the NRC said.
The impact of the decision is already being felt. In Ukraine, the organization said it had canceled the scheduled February distribution of emergency aid to 57,000 people living along the front lines of the war.
The NRC has also begun laying off staff worldwide, including aid workers in Afghanistan, where the agency has played a crucial role in supporting women and families struggling in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover and the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces in 2021.
While the Biden administration recently announced a temporary waiver allowing some humanitarian assistance to resume, the NRC said the measure was insufficient. It urged the U.S. government to release payments for previously completed work and to provide clarity on future funding.
“We currently have millions of dollars in outstanding payment requests to the U.S. government,” the organization said. “Without an immediate solution, we may, at the end of February, be forced to halt U.S.-funded lifesaving humanitarian programs.”
The NRC warned that vulnerable communities would bear the brunt of the crisis. In Burkina Faso, it said, the organization is the sole provider of clean water to 300,000 people in the besieged city of Djibo. In Sudan, its programs support nearly 500 bakeries in Darfur that provide subsidized bread to hundreds of thousands facing hunger.
Even if the immediate financial shortfall is addressed, the organization said, gaps in assistance will persist. Programs previously supported by U.S. funding—including emergency education, job training, and protection services for youth in Central and South America and the Sahel—remain in limbo. The NRC called for a full resumption of aid while the U.S. government conducts its review.
“Further steps must be urgently taken to avoid the disruption to ongoing humanitarian assistance,” the organization said.
