Sri Lanka, Feb. 6 -- Experts warn that severe restrictions on aid programs and development projects by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) could disrupt many projects implemented in Sri Lanka under US assistance.

They emphasize that some projects promised to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake by the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka may also be halted midway.

USAID recently announced that all its staff worldwide would be placed on leave effective from 11:59 p.m. on February 7, 2025.

Established on November 3, 1961, under former US President John F. Kennedy, USAID is the world's largest aid agency. In 2023 alone, it provided $72 billion in aid and contributed 42% of UN humanitarian aid programs in 2024.

Foreign medi...