Key donors' aid cuts catastrophic to humanitarian efforts in Sudan, UN warns

Khartoum, (The Uttam Hindu): The United Nations (UN) warned on Monday of a catastrophic decline in global funding for Sudan, which is enduring a humanitarian crisis amid ongoing conflict. "Sudden funding cuts by top government donors are a catastrophic blow to humanitarian assistance in Sudan, a country in the grip of one of the deadliest humanitarian crises of our times," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement. "Key donors recently announced sweeping funding reductions and suspensions, cutting off significant support to humanitarian organizations working to reach about 21 million people in desperate need in Sudan this year," it said.

The OCHA noted that the reductions come at a time when the needs in Sudan have never been greater, with more than half of the population being hungry and famine spreading. According to the office, the needs are even greater this year, with 4.2 billion U.S. dollars required for humanitarian aid in Sudan, yet only 6.3 percent of the funding has been received.

The UN agency further warned that the abrupt funding cuts and suspensions would end life-saving humanitarian assistance for millions of women, children, and other vulnerable groups across the country. "Without urgent funding, famine is likely to spread in the coming months," it cautioned. The OCHA called on all major donors to reconsider their decisions to reduce funding for Sudan, urging other governments, donors, foundations, charities, networks, the private sector, and individuals to urgently step up to help fill the gap left by these devastating reductions.

According to UN estimates, more than 30 million people, over half of them children, are in need of aid in Sudan, Xinhua news agency reported. On February 17, the UN launched a six-billion-dollar humanitarian appeal to assist nearly 26 million Sudanese affected by the ongoing conflict, both inside Sudan and in neighbouring countries. Since mid-April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has claimed at least 29,683 lives, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a crisis monitoring group. The conflict has also displaced over 15 million people, both inside and outside Sudan, according to estimates by the International Organization for Migration.