In northeast Nigeria, where improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance killed or injured 418 civilians in 2024, survival often depends on education — and funding. But even as humanitarian programmes across Africa suffered under sweeping US aid cuts, one crucial initiative endured.
The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Nigeria, responsible for clearing explosives and training communities in safety practices, narrowly escaped elimination after former US President Donald Trump’s administration slashed international assistance budgets.
“We were very surprised,” said Edwin Faigmane, programme chief for UNMAS Nigeria. “USAID accounted for about 20 percent of our funding. We didn’t know why we survived when others didn’t.”
Across the continent, the dismantling of USAID programmes has left devastating gaps. In Mali, UNMAS operations ended entirely when the agency withdrew its sole funding source. In Sudan, Washington clawed back its contributions, halting demining projects midstream.
Earlier this year, several malaria clinics in Borno State were forced to close following the loss of USAID funding. Many feared the same fate awaited mine-clearing operations in Nigeria’s insurgency-hit northeast.
For weeks, UNMAS pre-emptively suspended its USAID-funded activities, awaiting confirmation from Washington. Relief came only after officials in Abuja authorized the continuation of normal operations. “We were able to survive because of our other donors,” Faigmane said.
UNMAS’s work remains vital. Its teams educate farmers, displaced families, and children on recognizing explosive remnants — a crucial safeguard in regions scarred by Boko Haram’s 15-year insurgency.
With the help of other international donors, the agency also trains security personnel in disposal techniques, supporting Nigeria’s fledgling National Mine Action Centre established last year.
At the El-Miskin displacement camp in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the local nonprofit Big Smile Foundation continues to hold safety sessions with UNMAS support. Though these sessions now rely on non-US funding, the impact of American aid endures — USAID logos still mark children’s educational materials.
“We’ve learned how to stay safe, how to mark suspected ordnance from a distance, and report it,” said Hauwa Inusa, a 60-year-old camp resident who fled her home a decade ago.
However, her newfound safety may soon be tested. The Borno government has marked her camp for closure, forcing residents to return to rural areas where jihadist groups remain active.
In September, a massacre in the repopulated town of Darul Jamal underscored the continuing dangers. Despite relative stability compared to the conflict’s peak, large parts of the northeast remain outside government control.
As Nigeria rebuilds and international donors shift focus, the survival of programmes like UNMAS remains uncertain. For Faigmane, the warning is clear: “If the United States eventually pulls out, our reach collapses.”
