A purge of USAID contractors has left more than 1,000 locked out of the agency’s systems, with staff from Ukraine to the United States blocked from their accounts without notice.
“I’m completely boxed out of the system, and there was absolutely no heads-up provided to any of us,” said one PSC, speaking from a mission in the Middle East on Monday morning. “We were all completely blindsided, including our agency leadership here at the mission who came into my office in tears this morning because they have no idea what’s going on either.”
USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, or BHA, was most affected. The move has left staff in conflict zones with no access to the United States embassy and USAID colleagues — including embassy security personnel. That also means they have zero information about how to leave their duty stations and return home.
About the authors
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
Ayenat Mersie
Ayenat Mersie is a Global Development Reporter for Devex. Previously, she worked as a freelance journalist for publications such as National Geographic and Foreign Policy and as an East Africa correspondent for Reuters.
