The United States, already the single largest donor to humanitarian efforts in Sudan, is providing an additional $246 million to help people in Sudan — as well as in Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and the Central African Republic — affected by widespread violence that erupted in the country April 15.
The armed conflict between Sudan’s military and a paramilitary force has displaced more than 1 million people within Sudan and forced more than 300,000 to flee into neighboring countries.
The funding will allow the United States to continue its work with international and local partners to provide food, water, medical care and other lifesaving assistance for refugees, displaced people and others in extreme need because of the ongoing conflict.
“It’s hard to convey the extent of suffering occurring right now in Sudan because of the conflict that has erupted between these two warring generals and their forces,” U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power said in a video statement from Chad, where she met with Sudanese refugees. “Civilians in Sudan are paying the ultimate price and many — hundreds of thousands — are seeking to flee Sudan and find safety in neighboring countries.”
Grain to feed 2 million people for one month is being offloaded at a port in Sudan.@USAID is proud to support getting this life-saving assistance to people facing extreme hunger due to the ongoing crisis. pic.twitter.com/OYQ7yy8BQN
— Samantha Power (@PowerUSAID) May 25, 2023
The funding package includes nearly $143 million from the U.S. Department of State and another $103 million in additional humanitarian assistance from USAID. The USAID funds, which Power announced during her recent trip to Chad, include $50 million for Sudan, as well as $22 million for South Sudan, $17 million for Chad, $8 million for the Central African Republic and $6 million for Egypt.
The assistance in Chad supports USAID partner the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food and cash assistance to more than 135,000 people, including refugees who recently arrived in Sudan and refugees who are already in Chad. WFP has already distributed food and nutrition assistance to more than 52,500 Sudanese refugees at the Chad-Sudan border.
This funding brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance for people in need in Sudan and the four neighboring countries to nearly $800 million in fiscal year 2023.
