"Today I am announcing $150 million in new humanitarian assistance for Niger and other countries throughout the Sahel region through the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance," Blinken said in a statement.
The new package will support Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and other countries impacted by the regional crisis, he added.
"It will help provide life-saving support to refugees, asylum seekers, and others impacted by conflict and food insecurity in the region. This assistance also includes funding to support Sahelian refugees and migrants in Libya and those evacuated to Niger for further protection and assistance," Blinken noted.
In total, the US will provide over $230 million in humanitarian assistance to the region in 2023, the secretary noted. US continued assistance provides urgent and life-saving support, including food, shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, and other key services, Blinken said.