On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia revealed its plan to host an international conference in the coming week aimed at collecting pledges of aid for Sudan, a nation devastated by ongoing conflicts. According to the United Nations, over half of Sudan’s population is in urgent need of crucial assistance and protection.
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced an international conference next week to gather aid pledges for war-ravaged Sudan, where the United Nations says more than half the population urgently needs assistance and protection.
The pledging conference will be held on June 19, the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing the foreign ministry and adding that it would be jointly led with Qatar, Egypt, Germany and the European Union, as well as UN agencies.
A record 25 million people, more than half the population, are in need of aid and protection, according to the UN, but as of late May, the world body’s needs for $2.6 million to address the crisis were only 13 percent funded.
Entire districts of Khartoum no longer have running water, electricity is only available for a few hours a week, most hospitals in combat zones are not functioning, and aid facilities have been looted.
In May, the warring sides signed a written agreement for a Saudi and US-brokered week-long ceasefire, later extended by five days, that aimed to provide safe humanitarian corridors. These did not materialise.
Sudan’s annual rainy season begins in June, and medics have repeatedly warned that it threatens to make parts of country inaccessible, while raising the risks of malaria, cholera and water-borne diseases.
Fighting has forced nearly two million people from their homes, including 476,000 who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, the UN says.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
