The suspension of U.S. humanitarian aid has sparked alarm among vulnerable groups in Somaliland, particularly the more than 2,000 people living with HIV/AIDS who depend on free, life-saving medications.
The concern follows a warning from World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said the funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration could lead to a “catastrophic” disruption in the supply of antiretroviral drugs in several African countries. Somaliland is among the areas at risk, according to WHO.
Dr. Mustafe Abdillahi Hussein, a physician at the Tuberculosis Hospital in Hargeisa, told BBC Somali that the potential aid gap threatens to undo years of progress in treating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
“These medications are critical to survival,” Dr. Mustafe said. “If they disappear, mortality could rise sharply — especially among vulnerable groups like pregnant women, children under five, and those already suffering from other health conditions.”
According to the Somaliland HIV/AIDS Commission, 2,092 patients across the region receive monthly antiretroviral medication funded by the Global Fund, a health financing body heavily supported by the United States.
Aamina, a woman who has been living with HIV for years, told the BBC that her local clinic recently warned of dwindling drug supplies.
“I’ve always collected my medication from the HIV/AIDS outpatient ward at the General Hospital,” she said. “But they told us the funding has decreased, and since last month, we haven’t received our medication as reliably.”
She said the treatment is a lifeline. “If these medications stop, our immune systems weaken. Illnesses come back. We suffer, and eventually, we die,” Aamina said.
Somaliland’s Health Minister, Hussein Bashir Hirsi, acknowledged that the aid cuts would have an impact but insisted the government has made contingency plans.
“Yes, this will affect us,” he told the BBC. “But it does not mean patients will be left without medication. We are prepared. If the support ends, we will procure the drugs ourselves.”
