The US State Department has frozen nearly all foreign assistance worldwide effective immediately days after President Donald Trump issued a sweeping executive order Monday to put a hold on such assistance for 90 days.

Cindy McCain, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Agencies in Rome, inspects relief items donated by USAID at the World Food Programme warehouse, during her visit to assess the drought conditions and food security at the Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana county,

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has backpedalled on the near-total freeze of US foreign aid, stating that ‘life-saving humanitarian assistance’ would be continued during the 90-day review period. There is widespread uncertainty about which programmes fall under the new waiver among global and South African health organisations.