US Pledges $424 Million Lifeline to Sudan: A Beacon of Hope in Times of Crisis
On Wednesday, the United States announced new aid worth $424 million to displaced Sudanese during a high-level meeting at the United Nations about the ongoing bloody war between the army and the Rapid Assistance Forces, the American mission to the United Nations said the aid includes $175 million that Washington will buy surplus food from… Its farmers for the benefit of those displaced in Sudan and neighboring countries, after a UN-backed assessment warned of the risk of widespread famine.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, warned in an interview with Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the situation in Sudan is “hopeless” and that the international community “does not notice this,” referring specifically to conditions displacement. people trying to flee the war-torn country.
“This very serious crisis – a human rights crisis and a crisis of humanitarian needs – is passing almost unnoticed in our international community,” which is preoccupied with other crises, from Ukraine to Gaza, Grandi said.
He explained that since the start of the war in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Aid Forces in April 2023, “more than 10 million people have been displaced from their homes,” including more than two million Sudanese who have taken refuge in other countries. .
But “what is worrying” for the UN official is that “people have started to move beyond the immediate neighborhood in an attempt to find help further away.”
He added, “For example, we have seen a significant increase in the number of refugees arriving in Uganda,” noting that 40,000 people have arrived in this country, which does not share a common border with Sudan.
Uganda is located south of South Sudan, which is also engulfed in a multi-dimensional crisis.
Grandi expressed his fear that these refugees could go “even further” from this country.
He explained that “more than 100,000 Sudanese” have also arrived in Libya, “and unfortunately, due to the presence of smuggling networks and the proximity to Europe, many of them try to board boats to go to Italy or European countries others.”
He continued, “We have warned the Europeans,” stressing that if humanitarian aid to Sudan remains insufficient, Sudan “will continue to move forward” on the migration path.
“Unfortunately, this crisis is beginning to affect the entire region in a very serious way,” the High Commissioner warned.
Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic all receive tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees, as does Egypt, which borders Sudan.
Grande pointed out that “the arrival of a large number of refugees from an unstable country like Sudan has alarmed the Egyptian government,” which imposed restrictions on their arrival, noting that Cairo has maintained a large portion of these restrictions despite calls directed to it to’ w relieve.
Since April 2023, a fierce war has been raging between the army, led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
This war left tens of thousands dead, while around 26 million Sudanese are facing severe food insecurity.
A state of famine was declared in the Zamzam camp, located in the Darfur region near the city of El Fasher, where the Rapid Aid Forces launched a “large-scale” attack last weekend after a siege that lasted for several months.
Grandi said, “We only have scattered information about what is happening inside” El Fasher.
According to UN experts, attacks by the Rapid Aid Forces and associated Arab militias in 2023 caused the deaths of between 10,000 and 15,000 people in the city of El Geneina alone, the capital of West Darfur state.
The High Commissioner expressed his regret that the international community had not paid enough attention to the crisis in Sudan, even before the start of the war in Gaza on October 7.
He said the war in Sudan had been “largely sidelined” despite its massive effects, expressing his regret at the “shocking and shocking lack of attention” to the crises ravaging Africa, from the Sahel region to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Grande asked, “What is the future of a country like Sudan, which was destroyed by war, even if peace came?” He pointed out that the middle class that kept this country “steadfast” through decades of turmoil and wars is now “destroyed.”
“They know it’s over: they’ve lost their jobs, their homes have been destroyed, many of their loved ones have been killed.
AFP