USAID, WFP receive aid shipments for South Sudan

The American Chargé d'Affaires to Sudan appealed to armed movements in Sudan to allow the private delivery of humanitarian aid in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. A large shipment of aid for South Sudan arrived in Port Sudan on Sunday.

Steven Koutsis told reporters in Port Sudan on Sunday that the USA is committed to support the efforts of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), headed by Thabo Mbeki, aimed at achieving peace in Sudan.

Koutsis made an appeal to the leadership of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) to approve of the proposed US delivery of humanitarian aid to people affected by armed conflict in the Two Areas.

Last month the SPLM-N announced it has not rejected the US initiative, but its leaders refused the full control of the assistance to be provided by the US and to be distributed by the United Nations to be in the hands of the Sudanese government.

47,000 tonnes of grain

Shipments of aid were unloaded during the press conference, as the Chargé d'Affaires stood beside USAID director Jeff Achille and the deputy chief of mission of the World Food Program (WFP) in South Sudan, Margaret Malo, in the port of the Red Sea state capital. The over 47,000 metric tons of sorghum are planned be transported to Darfur and South Sudan.

Press conference in Port Sudan (RD)

The WFP deputy thanked USAID and Koutsis for their support to the UN food aid organisation, totalling nearly $1 billion since 2012. At least 20,000 metric tons will be transported through Sudan to South Sudan, with help of the WFP. “This arrival could not have been timelier because of the situations in the country,” Malo said, pointing to the declared famine in South Sudan.

WFP expects more shipments of sorghum and lentils to arrive soon

There are 244,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan who have received aid from WFP, she added. More shipments of aid are expected to arrive in Sudan in the coming weeks.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) recently reported that 332,000 South Sudanese refugees are currently in Sudan. The rate of new arrivals has surpassed UNHCR initial expectations.

Droughts

Last week the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica announced a support package of €165 million to address the famine- and drought-affected countries in the Horn of Africa. Primarily for South Sudan (€100 million), but the money will also be allocated to respond to serious droughts in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, owing to climatic conditions.