The U.S. State Department has frozen its demining programs


The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs' Office of Arms Removal and Reduction (PM/WRA) has temporarily suspended its programs to clear land around the world. The New York Times (NYT) reported this on Saturday, January 25, citing an internal email at the organization.
"Officials who handle financial grants to nonprofit demining groups will provide further guidance on Monday," the publication quoted the email as saying.
Efforts to clear unexploded ordnance around the world, including in Iraq and Southeast Asia, will now stop indefinitely.
The statement, sent to State Department-funded humanitarian organizations, also said all clearance operations must cease immediately.
The decision comes in the context of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on his first day in his new position that the complete halt in foreign aid is meant to "ensure that U.S. foreign policy is focused on one thing, and that is advancing" U.S. national interests.
"It is unclear whether Mr. Rubio or President [U.S. Donald Trump] understand that the presence of unexploded ordnance also threatens American lives, given that American soldiers are often killed or injured by dangerous battlefield munitions such as unexploded cluster weapon submunitions," the publication notes.
It is specified that such munitions killed as many U.S. ground troops during the 1991 Gulf War as were lost as a result of direct enemy fire.
Earlier, Secretary Rubio ordered a 90-day suspension of funding for most foreign aid programs. The changes affected key US allies Ukraine, Jordan and Taiwan, among others.
It was also reported that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) froze programs to support foreign countries, including Ukraine. Senior officials are now required to ensure that no new aid commitments are made to the maximum extent permitted by law. It is clarified that this instruction does not affect only military aid to Egypt and Israel
On January 23, it became known about Marco Rubio's intention to visit Panama following U.S. President Donald Trump's promises to regain control of the Panama Canal. The visit should take place next week as part of a tour of Latin America. The head of the State Department will also visit Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
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