EU commits €190 million in additional aid to Sudan

BRUSSELS, June 20 (MENA) - The European Union Commission has pledged a total of euros 190 million in additional humanitarian and development assistance to Sudan in light of the suffering of millions who have been forced to flee their homes in search for safety.

This comes as Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič co-hosted a High-level Pledging Event to support the Humanitarian Response in Sudan and the Region, according to a statement published by the website of the European Commission.

Out of the total new EU aid package, euros 52 million is allocated in humanitarian assistance in Sudan to support the most vulnerable caught up in the crisis. A further euros 8 million is dedicated to supporting Sudan's neighbors to deal with the arrival of those fleeing Sudan.

In addition, euros 130 million in development cooperation will support food security, resilience and health for the most vulnerable people.

Convened by the EU, the United Nations, Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the African Union, the pledging event held in Geneva aims at exploring ways to help not only the people of Sudan, but also supporting neighboring countries hosting thousands of returnees and Sudanese refugees.

The new humanitarian funding is in addition to the euro 73 million already allocated to Sudan in 2023 in humanitarian assistance and to euro 1.15 million allocated for the immediate relief and first aid assistance to populations in Sudan itself, and to refugees and returnees in neighboring countries.

The EU also launched Humanitarian Air Bridge flights earlier this year to deliver essential supplies and EU humanitarian aid experts were rapidly deployed along the border regions in countries bordering Sudan (Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad and Egypt), to rapidly assess the emerging humanitarian needs on the ground.