Cambodian demining program faces crippling USAID suspension

A lifesaving demining program is in jeopardy after the Trump administration ordered a 90-day suspension of all foreign aid, pushing nations in the region to turn to U.S. rivals such as China to fill the funding gap

SIEM REAP, Cambodia — The detonation rattled the surrounding forest.

Kitted out in neon-orange, U.S.-funded personal protective equipment, Chhun Bora, who has more than three decades of demining experience, let the dust settle before checking what was left of the landmine.

After giving the all clear, Chhun, the operations manager at the nonprofit group Cambodian Self Help Demining (CSHD), removed his helmet. He pointed to the red, white and blue sticker of the American flag and said, “Maybe we need to change soon.”

In the 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War left Southeast Asia riddled with remnants of war, foreign aid from the U.S. has steadily funded the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance. That lifesaving work is now in jeopardy after the Trump administration ordered a 90-day suspension of all foreign aid, pushing nations in the region to turn to U.S. rivals such as China to fill the funding gap.

Late Thursday, a U.S. judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate foreign aid funding but did not challenge the executive order itself.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/usaid-cambodia-demining-trump-cuts-funding-rcna192172

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