London: Charity officials have warned that the UK is cutting humanitarian aid to east Africa in a "betrayal" of tens of millions of people.
The UK's minister for international development, Andrew Mitchell, reportedly announced a $173 million ($143 million) aid package for the area on Wednesday, according to The Guardian. The amount represents a reduction of £13 million from the funding provided the previous year.
Mitchell's declaration, made on Wednesday at the UN building in New York, comes as east Africa deals with a number of escalating humanitarian crises, such as drought, conflict, and inflation.
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"The UK's announcement that it will cut funding... is a betrayal of tens of millions of people in the region facing life-threatening food insecurity," said Katy Chakrabortty, head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam.
"As co-chair of the pledging conference, the UK has grossly neglected its responsibilities. We have sly penny-pinching in place of world leadership.
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Humanitarian crises have a particularly negative impact on some east African nations. Data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Norwegian Refugee Council show that more than 1 million Somalians have been forced to flee their homes this year, with the nation reporting record levels of displacement.
The UK is concentrating its aid efforts on the Sudanese conflict, as stated by Mitchell: "Our funding could not come at a more critical moment, and it is clear that we must act now and do all we can to save lives."
The UN has warned that this year, due to a string of floods, conflict, and failed rainy seasons in east Africa, nearly 72 million people will need humanitarian aid.
The One Campaign's Lis Wallace, the UK's director of policy and advocacy, stated: "This wholly inadequate (UK) response exposes the human cost of the government's decision to reduce its support for the world's poorest and most vulnerable people."
According to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, this year's east Africa aid package includes smaller sums for South Sudan, Kenya, and Uganda as well as £48 million for Somalia, £42 million for Ethiopia, and £21.7 million for Sudan.