Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan MA Qiang (c) and South Sudan Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Albino Atak (r) meet in Juba. November 13, 2023. (Oliver MAJAK)

The Chinese government is due to dispatch to South Sudan humanitarian aid worth 1.4 million US dollars starting mid-November, according to an official.

South Sudan’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Albino Atak said the first consignment of about 80,000 pieces of tents will arrive in the country this week.

This will be followed by food consignments from Beijing in the coming two months, Atak said.

According to the humanitarian minister, the donation is a response to the needs of more than 370,000 returnees and refugees who have crossed the border following the Sudan crisis.

“We have now discussed the range of support that China is sending to help the government of South Sudan and responding to, first the consignment of tents, almost more than eight thousand pieces of tents that are already coming next week,” he said.

Minister Atak spoke at a joint press briefing with the Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan over the weekend.

“Now we have discussed the donation of China, and they are also preparing to bring and this donation is worth $ 1.4 million, this support tents and food items will arrive may be in two months or less than that time.”

Atak said the donation will bolster the South Sudan government response to the “need of those are coming from Khartoum and even those who have been affected by floods.”

On his part, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang said the donation, once delivered, will be distributed to returnees to meet their urgent needs.

“We discussed food insecurity challenges faced by the South Sudanese people, and I told his honorable on the direction of our president Xi Jinping that China is going to send food emergency food aid to South Sudan, which is about $1.4 million.”

“I hope this donation and emergency food aid, will be happy for the South Sudanese government to deal with food insecurity challenge.”

According to the UN, about one million people including internally displaced persons, refugees and host communities, have been either displaced or affected by flooding due to seasonal heavy rains in the northern parts of South Sudan, since 2022.