
Photo Credit :AFP
The United Nations has called for over $3 billion to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, where escalating conflict since mid-April has exacerbated the situation for refugees and those in need of aid.
The UN's revised estimates indicate a need for $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid alone, a significant increase from the initial $1.75 billion estimate in December.
This assistance is intended to help humanitarian agencies provide care for approximately 18 million of Sudan's most vulnerable citizens, as stated by Ramesh Rajasingham, the UN's head of humanitarian affairs.
In addition, the UN is requesting $470.4 million for refugees who have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict, with an expectation that up to 1.1 million people may flee Sudan within the year.
Rajasingham has revealed that over half of Sudan's population, amounting to 25 million people, are in dire need of humanitarian support and protection.
The conflict, which began on April 15th between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane's military forces and General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, is estimated to have caused 1,000 deaths and displaced 1 million people, further straining Sudan's humanitarian crisis. Prior to the war, one in three Sudanese were reliant on humanitarian aid.
Two weeks earlier, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, predicted that the deadly conflict could lead to the displacement of more than 800,000 people from Sudan.
Raouf Mazou, a UNHCR official, reported that the crisis, which started a month ago, has triggered a large-scale exodus to neighbouring countries, with about 220,000 refugees to date. Concurrently, over 700,000 individuals have been displaced within Sudan's borders. Mazou highlighted the plight of the many individuals left stranded in Sudan, caught up in the indiscriminate violence.
I worry about how much of this aid will be diverted into the pockets of corrupt officials. Flooding an unstable, warring country with billions of dollars seems dubious. I hope they have a solid plan for getting this money or equivalent goods to where it's actually needed.