Responding to ongoing food and health crises, the European Commission has announced it will deploy an additional €48.5m in EU aid to South Sudan.
The new humanitarian assistance package, which follows the allocation of a €1m Ebola crisis aid package to South Sudan last week, will aim to address ongoing issues affecting the country, including:
- Providing emergency food and nutrition aid to nearly seven million South Sudanese residents;
- Preventing the spread of disease epidemics;
- Providing basic healthcare in areas which are hard to access;
- Programmes providing accelerated education for children who have missed periods of education due to internal disruption in the region; and
- Protecting South Sudan’s most vulnerable groups, including women, children and internally displaced people.
Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, said yesterday: “The EU continues to stand by people in need in South Sudan. Today on World Refugee Day let us not forget the 4 million South Sudanese who remain uprooted, either within their country or as refugees in the region. Our new funding will help partners save lives on the ground. It is therefore essential that humanitarian workers have full and safe access to do their lifesaving job. While humanitarian support is a matter of urgency, ultimately only a solid commitment to restore peace and stability can bring a long-lasting solution.”
As part of the United Nations’ (UN) ‘survivor-centred’ approach to service provision in South Sudan, UK Military Engineers based in the region have partnered with the UN Human Rights Division to deliver self-defence workshops for at-risk women. The workshops aim to equip women with the skills and confidence not only to fight the ongoing threat of conflict-related sexual violence, but also to empower and train other women to defend themselves.
EU aid to South Sudan has reached more than €551m since 2014, concentrating on provision of food assistance, healthcare, water and sanitation; and essential services for displaced people in need.
