UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (Reuters) – The United States will provide an additional $203 million to support millions of civilians affected by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced on Thursday. She urged other nations to increase their contributions to the aid effort.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The new funds, revealed in a statement to Reuters, are intended to assist civilians in Sudan and those who have sought refuge in neighboring countries since the war began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
A global monitor warned last month that there is a realistic chance of famine in 14 regions across Sudan if the conflict intensifies. The U.N. World Food Programme has labeled the rapidly deteriorating hunger crisis as the worst in the world.
With this new contribution, total U.S. funding for Sudanese civilians in Sudan, Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan has reached $707 million since October, according to a U.S. official. The United States remains the largest single donor to the aid response.
“The people of Sudan are facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Much more needs to be done to help them,” said Thomas-Greenfield, who visited Sudan’s border with Chad in September to meet with refugees. “We hope this new round of aid serves as a call to action for others.”
The war, which erupted over a plan to integrate the army and paramilitary forces in a transition to free elections, has led to waves of ethnically driven violence, mostly attributed to the RSF. The RSF denies harming civilians, attributing the violence to rogue actors.
According to the U.N., nearly 25 million people—half of Sudan’s population—require aid, with famine looming and 10 million displaced from their homes. Over 2.2 million of these individuals have fled to other countries.
The U.S. has accused the warring factions of committing war crimes, with the RSF and allied militias also charged with crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. A Reuters report last month included satellite imagery analysis showing rapidly expanding cemeteries as starvation and disease spread.
“Yes, the Sudanese people need much more humanitarian funding, but the parties on the ground must also facilitate humanitarian access,” said Thomas-Greenfield, adding that the U.S. is ready to advocate for additional U.N. Security Council action to ensure aid reaches those most in need if necessary.
In March, the 15-member council adopted a resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the removal of aid obstructions, and the protection of civilians. In June, a second resolution demanded an end to the siege of a city of 1.8 million people in Sudan’s North Darfur region.
