Category: Humanitarian

Sudanese refugees seek shelter in Juba mosques

The South Sudan Islamic Council has called on Sudanese refugees who left the camp at Gorom area of Juba County to reside at the mosques to return.

Abdullah Baraj who is the Secretary General of South Sudan Islamic Council told Eye Radio that hundreds of refugees left the camp and occupied premises of worship in parts of Juba city.

“We have received complaints from mosque committees regarding this crisis,” he said.

They reportedly fled harsh living conditions in the camp.

Baraj acknowledged the difficulties the refugees are facing, but said it is unacceptable for them to stay in places of worship.

“I call on them to return to the camp because mosques are not a place to live, and we must adhere to it. A person fleeing war from his country is called a refugee and has to live in a refugee camp or now.

” South Sudan in general treats Sudanese as citizens, so whoever has possibility to rent can live in a house, but the mosque is not a place to live,” he said

The religious leader has directed all mosques committees to make sure that refugee occupants are facilitated back to the camp.

Meanwhile Abdullah Baraj said he is in contact with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster management to address their concerns.

“At the time I was speaking, I was in the office of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management after we heard about this situation. So currently  have a meeting regarding it and we will inform you of its outcomes,” he added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saudi Arabia govt contributes $1.4 million in funding for S. Sudan, Sudan

The United Nations food agency, WFP  has inked a $1.4 million in funding agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to treat and prevent malnutrition across Sudan and South Sudan.

The funding according to WFP, will help more than 35,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers impacted by conflict, economic shocks, and climate events.

It targets “29,000 in Sudan who have been caught up in the war and almost 6,000 in South Sudan who are impacted by an ongoing humanitarian crisis driven by conflict and economic and climate crises.”

“This funding comes at a critical time, it’s been one year since the conflict in Sudan began and has since spiraled into what may soon be the world’s largest hunger crisis,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Regional Director for the East Africa region.

“With extreme hunger comes malnutrition and we have already started to receive reports of children in Sudan dying of starvation. Support for our nutrition programmes is critical to prevent these deaths as well as the long-term impacts of childhood malnutrition,” he added.

WFP’s Executive Director, Cindy McCain, and the Royal Court Advisor and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah signed the agreements  in Paris .

The deal comes ahead of a pledging conference for the Sudan crisis slated to take place soon.

Dr. Abdullah Al Moallem, Director of KSrelief’s Health and Environmental Aid Department said “these programs will enable those in need to access vital food and medical assistance and will help the us to fight famine and malnutrition in both countries.”

“We are committed to supporting vulnerable population groups in Sudan and South Sudan, and to fostering a healthier and more resilient future for all communities,”he added.

According to WFP, “in Sudan, 4.9 million children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished – a 22% increase from the previous year.

Of this, 730,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. 

In the case of South Sudan, it said “1.6 million children and 870,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to be malnourished this year.”

France hosts Sudan conference a year into ‘forgotten’ war

France is hosting an international conference on Sudan on Monday, exactly a year after war broke out in the northeast African country, leading to a humanitarian and political crisis.

France is seeking contributions from the international community, and attention to what officials say is a crisis crowded out of the global conversation by ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

A ministerial meeting on political matters is to be accompanied by talks about the humanitarian situation in Sudan, which organisers said would include dozens of representatives of Sudan’s civil society.

“The idea is to move this crisis up to the top of the agenda,” said Christophe Lemoine, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry.

“We cannot let Sudan become a forgotten crisis,” he added.

In addition to humanitarian issues, officials said there were also political dangers, such as the possible break-up of Sudan into splinter states.

Sudan is experiencing “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory” and “the largest internal displacement crisis in the world”, the United Nations said recently.

Aid workers say a year of war between rival generals that broke out on April 15, 2023 has led to a catastrophe, but the world has turned away from the country of 48 million.

“The civilians here are enduring starvation, mass sexual violence, large-scale ethnic killing, and executions,” said Will Carter, Sudan country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council.

“Millions more are displaced, and yet the world continues to look the other way.”

An estimated 1.8 million people have fled Sudan — many to neighbouring Chad, now also suffering a humanitarian crisis — and 6.7 million have been internally displaced.

Only five percent of the 3.8-billion-euro ($4.1 billion) target in the UN’s latest humanitarian appeal has been funded so far this year, according to the French foreign ministry.

“We don’t have the ambition to cover the whole sum, but we have hope that the international community wakes up,” said one ministry official.

The ministerial meeting, behind closed doors, notably brings together representatives from Sudan’s neighbours, as well as from Gulf nations and western powers, including the United States and Britain, along with regional organisations and the UN.

Meanwhile, actors from Sudan’s civil society, including activists, unionists and journalists, will get together to discuss “a possible peace process, and what happens after the war”, an official said.

Laetitia Bader, at NGO Human Rights Watch, said she hoped that the conference would deliver “a very tough message” to the belligerents, including threats of sanctions.

The warring parties had blocked access for humanitarian assistance, pillaged foreign financial aid and targeted humanitarian workers in attacks, she said.

“This conference is very important, but it should not become an excuse to turn the page and forget about Sudan, again,” she added.

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