EU announces $8.61M in funding to support thousands who fled Sudan conflict

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) - The European Union announced €8 million ($8.61 million) in funding on Monday to support the integration and well-being of thousands of people who have fled ongoing fighting in Sudan and found safety in neighboring South Sudan.

The funding is part of €17 million channeled through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to the countries bordering Sudan, including Chad and Ethiopia.

Timo Olkkonen, the EU ambassador to South Sudan, said the war in Sudan is taking its toll on South Sudan and neighboring countries.

He said this new funding reaffirms the EU’s willingness to provide tangible support to host countries.

“The program aims at including refugees and returnees in service delivery systems, while improving their livelihoods and ensuring peaceful coexistence with host communities, in synergy with other EU funded initiatives on forced displacement. It will improve living conditions of those forced to flee, and at the same time contribute to security and stability in the region,” Olkkonen told journalists in the capital Juba during a ceremony marking the handover of the funding with the UN Refugee Agency and the IOM.

UNHCR country representative Marie-Helene Verney praised South Sudan for keeping its borders open for people fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

She said the money will be used to support displaced people to rebuild their lives.

“This contribution is a demonstration of solidarity with South Sudan and the communities that are hosting refugees and returnees,” said Verney

“Humanitarian action alone is not enough to address the enormous needs, and the early engagement of development partners such as the EU is welcome and needed to help people rebuild their lives and restore their dignity and self-reliance,” she said.

John McCue, IOM South Sudan's Acting Chief of Mission, said humanitarian support to the displaced population is needed to restart their lives, adding that IOM and partners are calling for more support to assist people affected by the Sudan crisis.

Eight months after fighting erupted, Sudan is facing one of the fastest unfolding crises globally, with unprecedented needs in such a short period.

Close to 5.7 million people – about one in every nine people in the country -- have fled their homes since the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started in mid-April. They have sought refuge within Sudan or in neighboring countries.

Some 420,000 people have crossed into South Sudan since the fighting began on April 15. Among them there were 13,130 arrivals, with 93% coming through four points of entry in Upper Nile State in South Sudan.