American lawmaker accuses USAID of funding Boko Haram, other terror groups

A United States congressman, Scott Perry, has accused the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of financing terror groups like Islamic State and al-Qaeda including their local affiliates such as Boko Haram.

Mr Perry made these remarks on Thursday during the inaugural session of the Congress’ Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory body created by US President Donald Trump, who appointed Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, to lead it.

The controversial advisory body was tasked to cut US government spending but has been accused of illegally interfering with or stopping the work of several government agencies, including USAID, which has had to stop all its operations globally.

While Mr Trump has repeatedly accused USAID of corruption, Mr Musk has described the embattled agency as a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America”. He also accused it of engaging in “rogue CIA work” and funding bioweapon research, including COVID-19.

Most of the allegations against the USAID have not been proven, and Mr Trump’s critics, including most Democrats, say he and Mr Musk are deliberately misrepresenting the work of the agency.

Terrorism financing

According to Mr Perry, the USAID’s annual budget of $697 million including cash shipments to madrasas (Islamic schools), has inadvertently funded terrorist training camps and extremist groups.

“Your money, $697 million annually, plus shipments of cash, funds ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, and terrorist training camps,” he said in a minute video now circulating across social media. “That’s what it’s funding,”

He provided no evidence of his claim in the video with many Democrats saying Republicans are willing to demonise the US aid agency in order to kill it.

Mr Perry also faulted the USAID’s $136 million expenditure on building 120 schools in Pakistan. He alleged that the schools were never constructed.

He also questioned the USAID’s education-related programmes in Pakistan, which reportedly cost $840 million over the past two decades.

Mr Perry pointed to an additional $20 million spent on creating educational television programmes for children who, he claimed, cannot attend physical schools because they “don’t exist.”

The congressman also questioned the $60 million Women’s Scholarship Endowment and $5 million Young Women Lead programmes by the USAID in Afghanistan.

Citing the fact that the Taliban government in Afghanistan do not allow women to speak in public, Mr Perry said the $60 million programme is a mirage unlikely to benefit Afghan women.

“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID,” he said.

Terrorism financing in Nigeria

The Nigerian government has been grappling with the war on terrorism on many fronts. In the North-east, soldiers continue to fight against insurgents including Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The insurgency in the region is now entering two decades with no hope of its ending soon. Analysts and top military officers said the insurgency lingers on for many reasons, including external funding.

READ ALSO: USAIDs suspension disrupts family planning services in Nigerian state  Official

Both Boko Haram and ISWAP have received funding from Islamic State. But since the schism that rocked the movement in 2016, Boko Haram has been left to source its funds through taxation and violent raids on villages.

Even though ISWAP still enjoys external funding, it continues to impose taxes on civilians living in their strongholds.

In 2020, a court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) convicted six Nigerians for funding Boko Haram. This conviction has helped the Nigerian government to track other people and businesses linked to these individuals.