The European Commission is mobilising €55 million to help vulnerable people caught in humanitarian crises in Sudan. The announcement comes as at least 8 million people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 6.3 million not having enough food to meet their needs. One in six children is also suffering from acute undernourishment.
“As the living conditions of millions in Sudan are being strained by the multiple crises faced by the country, the EU is stepping up emergency assistance for those most in need. The EU welcomes recent announcements by the new transitional Sudanese government on its intentions to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Aid must reach all areas of Sudan, including conflict zones” said Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
EU humanitarian funding from this aid package contributes to responding to the most critical needs, through:
- food and nutrition assistance for vulnerable households that struggle to get enough food to meet their needs, and for children under five and pregnant/breastfeeding mothers;
- emergency health care, including in tackling the current cholera outbreak affecting some parts of Sudan;
- support to refugees, Sudanese who are forcibly displaced within their country, and host communities by providing basic essential items and services;
- education for children living in areas hit by the crises.
Despite a complex operating environment, humanitarian organisations supported by the EU continued to deliver aid in Sudan. Since 2011, the EU has allocated over €518 million in life-saving assistance to people in need in Sudan.
All EU humanitarian aid in Sudan is provided only through humanitarian organisations such as UN agencies, NGOs and international organisations and is strictly monitored.
Background
Resources in areas hosting forcibly displaced people are overstretched, food supplies are running short, education is under-resourced and organisations are reporting shortages of essential medicines.
The floods that hit Sudan towards the end of August 2019 caused loss of life and widespread damage. The EU provided emergency funding to help the affected families. In September 2019, a cholera outbreak was declared in two states in Sudan. Humanitarian support is needed to prevent the epidemic from spreading and to provide medicines.
**For More Information **
Factsheet: Sudan
Factsheet: EU-Sudan relations
Flickr Album: Sudan – A forgotten crisis
IP/19/6233
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