The United States has significantly reduced its aid to Africa, with a proposed $49.1 billion cut in foreign aid for 2026, targeting global health, education, and agriculture.

The African Development Fund faces a $555 million cut, while UN peacekeeping missions have been defunded.

This move comes as the Trump administration pushes for “burden sharing” with African armies, asking them to take on more defence responsibilities.

The cuts will severely impact humanitarian efforts, particularly in countries struggling with conflict, hunger, and natural disasters.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the US spent $910 million on food, water, sanitation, and shelter for over seven million displaced persons. Without this aid, 7.8 million people may lose food aid, and 2.3 million children risk facing deadly malnutrition.

The Sahel region, described as the “epicentre of terrorism” by US Africa Command chief Gen Michael Langley, faces significant security threats from jihadist groups.

These groups aim to gain access to West African coasts, finance operations through smuggling and human trafficking, and pose a risk to both African nations and US shores.

Langley has admitted that the current upsurge in militant attacks is “deeply concerning”.

The US is reining in its sub-Saharan military operations, with plans to reduce its 6,500-strong personnel deployment in Africa.

Some military installations, including the drone base in Agadez, Niger, have already been shut down.

Gen Langley emphasizes building African nations’ self-reliance to confront terrorism and insurgencies independently.

Data modelling suggests that the USAID cuts could push 5.7 million Africans into extreme poverty next year and reduce economic growth by $4.6 billion by 2030.

The cuts may also drive African nations closer to rival powers like China and Russia.

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Jamaica will host the Forty-ninth (49th) Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) from July 6-8 in Montego Bay.

The Meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Media partners interested in covering the Meeting are invited to apply for accreditation through the CARICOM registration link: https://register.caricom.org/view.php?id=46900.

The deadline for accreditation is Monday, June 23, 2025.

The Meeting will bring together regional leaders to discuss key issues affecting the Caribbean Community.

The Conference provides a platform for CARICOM Member States to share ideas, collaborate, and make decisions that promote the region’s development and prosperity.

The 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM is expected to strengthen regional cooperation and pave the way for a more prosperous and sustainable future for the Caribbean Community.

Iran Warns Trump, Dares Him to Strike Country

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Wednesday in a post on X that his country does not fear President Donald Trump’s threats and “absurd rhetoric.” In a separate television address, he vowed that Iran “will not surrender” and said any U.S. military intervention in the conflict would bring “irreparable damage.”

Trump is weighing whether to strike Iran, and the Pentagon has built up U.S. military forces in the Middle East in recent days. On social media Tuesday, Trump demanded “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” from Tehran without detailing what that would mean, and he described the supreme leader as an “easy target.” Israel and Iran continued to trade fire on Wednesday, the sixth day of the direct conflict.

Explosions were heard in Tehran early Wednesday as Israeli warplanes continued to hammer Iran. The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for another district as the exodus from the Iranian capital continued. Israel said it attacked a centrifuge production site and several weapons manufacturing sites overnight.

Iran launched two waves of missiles at Israel overnight and said it used its hypersonic Fattah-1 missile for the first time. There have been no reports of casualties in Israel Wednesday.

The number of missiles Israel has faced in each retaliation barrage appears to have decreased over the past two days. Iran has not explained the decline, but Israel said it has destroyed more than a third of Iran’s missile launchers.

“The battle begins,” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, posted on social media early Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump described him as an “easy target.”

As Trump mulls U.S. involvement, Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that “any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.”