The European Commission has announced it will distribute €55m in humanitarian assistance to help vulnerable communities in Sudan.
A combination of natural disasters and disease outbreak has meant at least eight million residents of Sudan are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. The EU aid package is aimed at alleviating the most critical needs facing Sudanese communities, including:
- Providing food and nutrition assistance for children under five, breastfeeding mothers and vulnerable households struggling to meet their nutritional needs;
- Establishing emergency healthcare facilities, particularly in areas of Sudan which have been hit by an outbreak of cholera;
- Providing education for children living in crisis-hit regions;
- Offering support and basic essential services to refugees and internally displaced Sudanese residents forced out of their homes by natural disasters; and
- Supporting host communities which have taken in refugees.
Sudan suffered severe flooding in August 2019, causing extensive damage to property and loss of life. In September 2019, two Sudanese states declared a cholera outbreak. Currently more than 6.3 million residents of Sudan are unable to meet their immediate food needs; with one in six Sudanese children suffering acute undernourishment. The EU has continuously provided humanitarian assistance throughout the region, deploying more than €518m in emergency aid since 2011.
Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, said: “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.”
The EU’s humanitarian assistance to Sudan, which is strictly monitored to avert the risk of corruption, will be delivered through humanitarian bodies, including NGOs and United Nations agencies.
