16/06/2015
Around €245 million were pledged today in support of the victims of the deepening humanitarian crisis in South Sudan and the region.
The funding will translate into vital assistance for the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis.
The European Commission reaffirmed its support of €50 million announced in April, which brings its humanitarian aid to South Sudan and the neighbouring countries affected by the crisis to over €120 million for 2015.
In addition to the Commission's funding, a number of EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovenia, UK) pledged altogether over €70 million in support to the country.
"The pledges show that the world has not forgotten the people of South Sudan. We are committed to alleviating their suffering. I witnessed this unfolding disaster first-hand just a few weeks ago. I also saw the admirable work done by humanitarian workers," said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides. "Our first priority is to save lives; but this is a man-made crisis which cannot be solved by humanitarian aid alone. A political solution is urgently needed. I call on those fighting to stop the plight imposed on their people and give full protection and access to humanitarian workers," he added.
The pledges were made today during a high-level conference organised by the EU and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva on the humanitarian situation in the world’s youngest country.
Background
The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan has been deepening ever since violence broke out at the end of 2013. The conflict has a serious regional impact, with over half a million refugees in neighbouring Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.
The UN estimates that at least 4.6 million people are struggling to find food. The start of the rainy season is increasing the risk of water-borne diseases and malaria.
Humanitarian organisations struggle to reach those in greatest need, due to attacks against aid workers and general lack of security. More than a dozen humanitarian relief workers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict.
There is particular concern for the safety and welfare of civilians in the southern Unity State, who are trying to survive amidst grave violence and to whom the humanitarian community has almost no access.
In a move condemned by both the EU and the UN earlier in June, the government of South Sudan expelled the UN aid coordinator, Mr Toby Lanzer, who served as the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in South Sudan, as well as the UN Development Programme Resident Coordinator and the Humanitarian Coordinator since July 2012.