World donors pledge $1.5 billion for Sudan relief – experts warn of distribution challenges

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Donors at a United Nations-backed conference in Geneva yesterday have pledged nearly $1.5 billion to fund life-saving relief efforts in Sudan and the region. The donors called on the warring parties in Sudan to immediately end the fighting. Experts in voluntary work in Sudan expressed their fears that the conference will not reach satisfactory results due to the Sudanese government’s failure to provide the necessary information on the damage and needs and pointed to expected problems in the distribution of aid.

As the conflict in Sudan fuels a humanitarian catastrophe in the country and a refugee crisis beyond its borders, the ministerial-level pledging event in Geneva was organised by the United Nations, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the African Union, and the European Union.

In a statement following the conclusion of the conference, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) points out that in Sudan, roughly half of the population – 24.7 million people, more than half of them children – need humanitarian aid and protection. Nearly 1.7 million people have been uprooted within Sudan, while about half a million refugees, asylum-seekers and refugee returnees have sought safety in neighbouring countries amid the violence, which includes worrying reports of ethnic killings in West Darfur.

Aid operations are ramping up across Sudan, but they remain hampered by looting, violence, and bureaucratic impediments. In the face of the insecurity, humanitarians are staying and delivering.

International and UN pledges

Germany pledged $200 million, Qatar $50 million, and Saudi Arabia confirmed $100 million for humanitarian support in Sudan.

UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths pledged an additional $22 million for humanitarian response in Sudan. Griffiths said they had allocated $37 million to support the response in Sudan through UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan.

Martin Griffiths, UN Secretary-General’s Representative for Humanitarian Affairs, said we need funding because needs in Sudan are increasing, and called on countries to continue providing aid to Sudan in order to distribute aid before winter.

He pointed to obstacles and problems in the delivery of aid to Darfur and that the victims in Darfur, specifically in El Geneina, were a source of great concern.

The Saudi foreign minister said that the King Salman Centre has allocated $ 100 million for humanitarian support in Sudan.

He pointed to a Saudi air bridge with 13 aeroplanes, as well as a sea bridge of two ships, in addition to the launch of a popular campaign through the centre’s “Sahem [contribute]” platform. Saudi Arabia has evacuated 8,455 people from 110 countries.

The Saudi Kingdom also contributed to the establishment of a humanitarian area for the World Food Programme in Jeddah.

The Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister called on the parties to the conflict in Sudan to stop the fighting immediately, pointing to Qatar’s pledge of $ 50 million to support the emergency response plan in Sudan.

Since the conflict began, Qatar has delivered 118 tonnes of food and medicine to Sudan via an airlift, he said. It contributed to the evacuation of 1,784 people.

He praised international efforts, especially Saudi-American mediation, to resolve the crisis in Sudan.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister announced a joint initiative with Qatar to provide humanitarian aid to the people in Sudan. He said that Egypt is hosting a quarter of a million Sudanese who fled the war in their home country, apart from the five million Sudanese who were already living in Egypt. Egypt as well facilitated the evacuation of more than 10,000 diplomatic missions in Sudan.

The German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs announced Germany’s pledge of two million euros to help Sudan .

She stressed the need to protect humanitarian corridors in Sudan and provide aid.

The European Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and

Declaration of Commitment

The organisers of the Geneva donor event stressed the need for all parties in Sudan to adhere to the “Declaration of Commitment to protect civilians and facilitate and respect humanitarian action in Sudan,” signed in Jeddah on 11 May, including to prioritise discussions to achieve a durable ceasefire and permanent cessation of hostilities, ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL).

The organisers also reaffirmed their commitment to scale up principled and needs-based humanitarian assistance to address the most critical needs of people in Sudan and those forced to flee to neighbouring countries.

To ensure the swift and effective delivery of aid, participants to the conference emphasised the importance of removing bureaucratic impediments in Sudan – including visa and movement restrictions – without delay.

The parties in Sudan should also ensure the movement of humanitarian supplies and personnel from other parts of Sudan and from neighbouring countries to all parts of Sudan – including Darfur, where nearly 9 million people need assistance – and allow people to move freely to seek safety.

The funds announced today will support the provision of principled and needs-based humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan and the countries hosting those fleeing the fighting. More than 80 Governments and other donors, international humanitarian organisations and aid officials took part in today’s event, which also underscored the need for long-term support to build the resilience of Sudanese communities and hosting communities in neighbouring countries, OCHA says.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said: “Each day the crisis in Sudan continues, the humanitarian situation grows ever more desperate. Despite the raging violence, humanitarian workers – including our heroic local partners operating on the front lines – are pressing ahead with their efforts to deliver aid to people in need. The funding announced today – including an additional $22 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, bringing total funding through CERF and the Sudan Humanitarian Fund to $102 million – will be a lifeline for millions of people living in the world’s most dangerous and difficult conditions.”

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said: “Since mid-April, we have seen senseless, brutal fighting and attacks in Sudan, forcing millions to flee for their lives to wherever they can find safety.

The commitment shown today by donors to those affected comes just in time, as our resources for the situation are dwindling. The pledges will save lives and help alleviate some hardship. Ultimately, of course, only a durable peace will allow the Sudanese to restart their lives.”

UNSG

In a statement ahead of the conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that “Sudan is descending into death and destruction at an unprecedented speed.” The UNH chief urged donors to “step in and curb the unfolding catastrophe”.

Martin Griffiths, UN Secretary-General’s Representative for Humanitarian Affairs, said we need funding because needs in Sudan are increasing, and called on countries to continue providing aid to Sudan in order to distribute aid before winter.

He pointed to obstacles and problems in the delivery of aid to Darfur and that the victims in Darfur, specifically in El Geneina, were a source of great concern.

The Saudi foreign minister said that the King Salman Centre has allocated $ 100 million for humanitarian support in Sudan.

He pointed to a Saudi air bridge with 13 aeroplanes, as well as a sea bridge of two ships, in addition to the launch of a popular campaign through the centre’s “Sahem [contribute]” platform. Saudi Arabia has evacuated 8,455 people from 110 countries.

The Saudi Kingdom also contributed to the establishment of a humanitarian area for the World Food Programme in Jeddah.

The Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister called on the parties to the conflict in Sudan to stop the fighting immediately, pointing to Qatar’s pledge of $ 50 million to support the emergency response plan in Sudan.

Since the conflict began, Qatar has delivered 118 tonnes of food and medicine to Sudan via an airlift, he said. It contributed to the evacuation of 1,784 people.

He praised international efforts, especially Saudi-American mediation, to resolve the crisis in Sudan.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister announced a joint initiative with Qatar to provide humanitarian aid to the people in Sudan. He said that Egypt is hosting a quarter of a million Sudanese who fled the war in their home country, apart from the five million Sudanese who were already living in Egypt. Egypt as well facilitated the evacuation of more than 10,000 diplomatic missions in Sudan.

The German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs announced Germany’s pledge of two million euros to help Sudan .

She stressed the need to protect humanitarian corridors in Sudan and provide aid.

The European Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and pointed to the need for 25 million Sudanese for aid.

The UN refugee chief said the conflict could go beyond Sudan’s borders and more than two million people were displaced by the crisis.

The Commissioner for Refugees noted the arrival of 113,000 Sudanese displaced to South Sudan due to the conflict.

He called on Sudan’s neighbouring countries to keep their borders open.

Data and distribution problems

Mustafa Adam, head of Zarga Organisation and an expert in voluntary work, stressed to Radio Dabanga the importance of the Humanitarian Response Conference for Sudan.

He said he hoped the conference will come up with satisfactory results with clear reports from the government and a specific vision of the strategy for dealing with the humanitarian situation.

He said that the government does not have a clear vision for managing the humanitarian operation and determining the extent of the damage, pointing to expected problems regarding the mechanism for distributing needs and managing the humanitarian operation.

He warned of the lack of reports from the states, because the mechanisms did not descend on the ground. He pointed to the extension of the attacks to the recruitment of workers in voluntary work, noting the killing of the humanitarian aid commissioner in West Darfur.

Adam called on the Sudanese High Emergency Committee for clarity and transparency, and to reach a clear vision of food, shelter, and health needs. He also called for the formation of federal and subsidiary mechanisms and the provision of continuous updates in the humanitarian operation.

Deteriorating conditions for displaced people

He stressed the deteriorating conditions of the displaced in El Gezira, Sennar, White Nile state, El Gedaref and other states, noting the poor conditions in the makeshift shelters and camps, and pointed to the deterioration of the conditions of the displaced on El Gezira, especially children without support who arrived from Khartoum. No support has been received for the displaced in Sennar, White Nile and Blue Nile, he said.

He stressed the need for the Supreme Emergency Committee to move in Khartoum during the truce periods, and the urgent action of the rest of the states in order to assess the needs on the ground. He warned of the arrival of the autumn season, which will contribute to the complexity of the humanitarian situation and reflected in the form of diseases and epidemics that will affect a large number of displaced people and the general public.

He said that a number of voluntary organisations plan to organise a press conference next week in Wad Madani, capital of El Gezira, where the Humanitarian Aid Commission is temporarily based, to talk about the challenges facing humanitarian work.