US promises another R3.65 billion in aid for ‘worst humanitarian crisis in the world’ in Sudan

A recently set up camp for internally displaced Sudanese from Sennar state, in the al-Huri district of Gedaref city in the east of Sudan on 14 July 2024. (AFP)

• The US has announced another $200 million in aid for Sudan, on top of nearly $500 million since the start of 2024.
• The war in Sudan has created what is considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
• Much of the new aid will focus on those displaced and going hungry.

The United States announced more than $200 million – equivalent to some R3.65 billion – in new aid Thursday for civilians affected by the war in Sudan, including refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a war between its regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“The people of Sudan are facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

“I’m proud to announce that the United States is providing an additional $203 million in humanitarian funding,” she reported, adding that the money is meant “to support people in Sudan, Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan affected by this brutal conflict.”

The funding comes in addition to nearly $500 million that Thomas-Greenfield said had been provided since the beginning of the year.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 10 million, including two million refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the UN.

Some 25.6 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, a UN-backed report said in late June.

“People are eating dirt to survive, relying on tree leaves for nutrition,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

The new US funding is intended in particular for construction of refugee shelters, food aid, medical support and assistance to communities hosting those who have been displaced.

The US ambassador repeated a call for a ceasefire and better humanitarian aid access, while also denouncing the Sudanese Army’s blockage of the Adre border crossing between Chad and Sudan.

To improve humanitarian access, the UN Security Council should “consider all tools at its disposal, including authorizing aid to move from critical crossings, like at the Adre border into Sudan, as we’ve once done with cross-border aid into Syria,” she said.

In 2014, the council created a mechanism allowing the UN to deliver humanitarian aid to populations in rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria without the authorisation of the Syrian government.

Syria denounced the move as a violation of its sovereignty, and the mechanism ended in July 2023 following a veto by Russia against its renewal.