Sudan – US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield confirmed on Thursday that the United States will provide an additional $203 million to help millions of civilians affected by the war in Sudan and called on other countries to increase their assistance.
“This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” Thomas-Greenfield told reporters.
The funds, announced in a statement to Reuters on Thursday, are intended to help civilians in Sudan as well as those who have fled to neighbouring countries since war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The United Nations says nearly 25 million people, half of Sudan’s population, need aid, famine is looming and 10 million people have fled their homes, including more than 2.2 million who have sought refuge in other countries.
“The scale of this crisis is enormous. But now is not the time to despair. We must continue to fight for the people of Sudan,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “People are eating dirt to survive and relying on leaves for food.”
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said last month that there is a real risk of famine in 14 areas across Sudan if the war escalates, and the UN World Food Programme has described the rapidly worsening hunger crisis as the worst in the world.
The additional U.S. funds bring total U.S. funding for civilians in Sudan, Chad, Egypt and South Sudan to $707 million since October, a U.S. official said. The United States is the single largest donor to humanitarian aid responses.
“The people of Sudan are facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Much more needs to be done to help them. We hope this new round of aid will serve as a call to action for others,” said Thomas-Greenfield, who visited Chad’s border with Sudan in September to meet refugees from the war.
The war has caused waves of ethnically motivated violence for which the RSF is largely responsible. The RSF denies harming civilians, blaming the activity on rogue elements. The war was sparked by a plan to merge the army and the RSF in a transition to free elections.
The United States says both sides are committing war crimes and that the RSF and allied militias are also committing crimes once morest humanity and ethnic cleansing. A Reuters report last month, which included analysis of satellite imagery, showed that the graveyards are expanding rapidly as hunger and disease spread.
“Yes, the Sudanese people need much more humanitarian funding, but both parties on the ground must also facilitate humanitarian access,” Thomas-Greenfield said, adding that the United States stands ready to press for further action by the UN Security Council “to ensure that aid can reach those most in need if necessary.”
“The UN Security Council should consider all tools at its disposal, including authorizing the movement of aid through sensitive crossings, such as the Adre border crossing into Sudan, as we have done before to bring aid across the border into Syria,” she continued.
Between 2014 and 2023, the council had approved the delivery of aid from neighboring countries to millions of people in areas largely controlled by the opposition in Syria. The approval was necessary because the Syrian authorities did not agree to the operation.
Reuters
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2024-07-19 11:16:41
