WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — The United States will start phasing out its financial support for Namibia's HIV response programs, the latest among southern African countries to feel the effects of the withdrawal of foreign aid by the U.S. administration.
The U.S. will provide Namibia with $45 million for its HIV response in the 2027 fiscal year but the country will then start funding its own HIV programs, with the U.S. only providing “technical cooperation," both countries said in statement.
Namibia has received around $45 million annually through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in recent years. The United States says it has contributed more than $1.1 billion to Namibia’s HIV response since 2003.
While the withdrawal of the funding was expected since the Trump administration’s “America First” approach to foreign aid was announced, it follows Namibia’s rejection of proposed provisions for sharing health data and biological specimens with the United States. Namibia cited privacy, sovereignty and legal concerns for its decision.
The Trump administration has been entering into country-by-country agreements that Washington says will reduce donor dependency, increase domestic financing and safeguard American interests. The U.S. has signed agreements with about 30 countries since late last year, many of them in Africa.
But Ghana rejected a proposed agreement over access to sensitive health data, Zimbabwe withdrew from a $367 million package over similar concerns, and a court challenge has put Kenya’s $2.5 billion agreement on hold. Zambia has also objected to data-sharing demands.
Namibian officials previously said the proposed provisions in their original form were “not in compliance with Namibia’s national laws” and infringed constitutional privacy protections and national sovereignty over biological resources."
Both government are reported to be negotiating a new bilateral health agreement.
The joint statement said Namibia had surpassed UNAIDS targets by achieving a target of 96% of people living with HIV knowing their status, 98% of those diagnosed receiving treatment, and 98% of those treated having achieved viral suppression.
“Over the next year, this support will transition into a technical cooperation model as the HIV response is fully integrated into Namibia’s sustainable national health system, in line with Namibia’s national laws,” the governments said in a joint statement.
The U.S. recently announced the phasing out of more than $400 million in support annually for South Africa's HIV programs. It has also started a "phased drawdown” of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a program that has supported South Africa’s battle against HIV and AIDS for the past 20 years and is widely credited with saving more than 20 million lives over that period.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting with travel executives, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
LONDON (AP) — Dozens of masked anti-immigration protesters blocked roads leading to Britain’s busiest ferry port on Saturday, clogging traffic and disrupting travelers and cargo vehicles heading for France.
The U.K. government condemned the action, saying it went beyond peaceful protest.
The Port of Dover said Saturday morning that all traffic in and out was "stopped due to an ongoing public order incident," and police said they were “engaging with the protesters.”
Video posted on social media showed several dozen men in black, their faces covered, standing across a major road near the port. One clip showed demonstrators linking arms across a main road and shouting “stop the boats.”
Chris Vinson, a Conservative Party local councilor, said the protest appeared to be “illegal migration-related.”
“I’m not aware that there’s been any violence, although clearly, having the path of your vehicle blocked by men wearing black paramilitary gear and balaclavas is extremely intimidating,” he said.
The Labour Party government said “the right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but we condemn the behavior in Dover and the travel disruption it has caused.”
“We appreciate the frustration of those who have been impacted today," it said in a statement,
The National Highways agency said the protest blocked all routes to the port and caused a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) traffic jam.
Police were later filmed following protesters towards Dover's railway station. P&O Ferries said just before midday that “access to the Port of Dover has now been restored.”
P&O, which runs services between Dover and Calais in France, said passengers who missed their ferry would be offered the next available crossing.
Dover, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of London, dealt with more than 9 million passengers and 2 million freight vehicles in 2025, according to the port’s website.
The town has been the site of previous anti-immigrant protests focused on migrants who cross the Channel from France in small boats. Successive U.K. governments have struggled to stop people — more than 40,000 last year — making the dangerous journey across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. The issue has been depicted as a crisis by politicians including Nigel Farage of hard-right party Reform UK. He branded the asylum seekers “an invasion” in a Friday speech.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government says stepped-up law enforcement cooperation between Britain and France has helped reduce the number of people making the crossing so far this year by more than 40% compared to 2025.
Mike Tapp, a Labour lawmaker who represents Dover in Parliament, criticized “idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption.”
“I bet if you asked any one of those ‘protesters’ they wouldn’t know small boat crossing are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday. “Go home, enjoy your weekend/get a job.”
Protesters gather at Dover Priory train station after black-clad and masked demonstrators blocked roads during a protest, in Dover, England, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Oscar Rihll/PA via AP)
FILE - A general view of the port of Dover with the coastguard station, top left, in Dover, England, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
