A peacebuilder working in South Sudan said of the funding cuts: "What made this extremely disruptive was the dehumanising and undignified way it was done, especially with the USAID cuts. For communities that are internally displaced due to conflict or climate crisis, or externally displaced in the neighbouring countries who largely depend on humanitarian services for the most basic needs such as food and healthcare, the impact has been devastating, because there was no anticipation for this or any transition. I worked with a US INGO, and our partners have just been left hanging since the stop-work orders. There has not been any opportunity to close things out properly."
Date: 9/25
Region: Africa
Country: South Sudan
Topic: Refugees & Displacement
Policy Lens: Moral Leadership
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: This quote is attributed to Aluel Atem, and collected by Peace Direct in an online consultation with 410 participants in September 2025 and validated through in-person and online workshops in October 2025 and January 2026.
Statements from practitioners from this report further support the notion that cuts from donors strained multilateral relations, especially due to the abruptness of the cuts from the U.S. Another participant quoted by Peace Direct said: "While we valued their past support, the abrupt withdrawal without measures to safeguard vulnerable communities has eroded trust. It feels as though the lives of people we serve [...] are secondary to shifting political priorities."
Source: Peace Direct