Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has approved a plan to halt U.S. foreign assistance to Ethiopia as the Trump administration attempts to mediate a dispute with Egypt and Sudan over Ethiopia’s construction of a massive dam on the Nile River, said a media report.

“The decision, made this week, could affect up to nearly $130 million in U.S. foreign assistance to Ethiopia and fuel new tensions in the relationship between Washington and Addis Ababa as it carries out plans to fill the dam”, the Foreign Policy magazine reported based on interviews with US officials and Congressional aides. Quoting the officials, the magazine said that the details of the cuts are not yet set in stone and the finalized number could amount to less than $130 million. 

“Programs that are on the chopping block include security assistance, counterterrorism and military education and training, anti-human trafficking programs, and broader development assistance funding,” the magazine wrote quoting officials and congressional. “The cuts would not impact U.S. funding for emergency humanitarian relief, food assistance, or health programs aimed at addressing COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS,” the report reads.