Kuwait and the United Kingdom have signed two memoranda of understanding to jointly provide $10 million in humanitarian aid for conflict-affected communities in Sudan and Somalia, officials announced Sunday.
Each country will contribute $5 million. Half of the funds will support the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sudan, ensuring continued access to essential services such as healthcare, nutrition, clean water, sanitation and child protection.
The remaining $5 million will go toward a joint initiative in Somalia led by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Kuwait and the UK will each provide $2.5 million to restore humanitarian services in areas impacted by prolonged instability and displacement.
The MoUs were signed in Kuwait by Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya, who also chairs the board of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), and David Lammy, the UK Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.
Waleed Al-Bahar, acting director general of KFAED, said the agreements reflect Kuwait’s commitment to international cooperation in development, peacebuilding and humanitarian assistance.
“This renewed partnership with the UK brings together experience and shared purpose to support the most vulnerable communities in Sudan and Somalia,” Al-Bahar said. “It also underscores Kuwait’s leading role in humanitarian diplomacy both regionally and globally.”
Mamadou Sow, head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Gulf Cooperation Council countries, praised the cooperation as a sign of united humanitarian resolve.
“This support extends beyond financial aid—it sends a clear message of solidarity with the Somali people,” Sow said. “It aims to restore vital services in long-marginalized communities that have endured decades of hardship.”
The agreements build on a 2020 cooperation framework signed between KFAED and the UK’s former Department for International Development (DFID), which established the foundation for joint humanitarian efforts to assist refugees, displaced persons and crisis-affected communities around the world.
