EU grants $8.61 million to those affected by the Sudan war

ALBAWABA - The European Union announced €8 million ($8.61 million) in funding on Monday to support the integration and well-being of thousands of people who have fled ongoing fighting in Sudan and found safety in neighboring South Sudan, Anadolu reported.

Timo Olkkonen, the EU ambassador to South Sudan, said the war in Sudan is taking its toll on South Sudan and neighboring countries.

"The program aims at including refugees and returnees in service delivery systems while improving their livelihoods and ensuring peaceful coexistence with host communities, in synergy with other EU-funded initiatives on forced displacement".

"It will improve living conditions of those forced to flee, and at the same time contribute to security and stability in the region," Olkkonen told journalists in the capital Juba during a ceremony marking the handover of the funding with the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the IOM channeled funding of €17 million to the bordering countries of Sudan including Chad and Ethiopia, which included the €8 million ($8.61 million) funding for those affected by the tragic consequences of the brutal ongoing war in Sudan.

UNHCR country representative Marie-Helene Verney hailed South Sudan for its role in keeping borders open for people fleeing the conflict in Sudan. She said the money will be used to support displaced people to rebuild their lives.

"This contribution is a demonstration of solidarity with South Sudan and the communities that are hosting refugees and returnees," said Verney.

"Humanitarian action alone is not enough to address the enormous needs, and the early engagement of development partners such as the EU is welcome and needed to help people rebuild their lives and restore their dignity and self-reliance," Verney added.

About one in every nine people in Sudan have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) raged in mid-April. They have sought refuge within Sudan or in neighboring countries.

Some 420,000 people have crossed into South Sudan since the fighting began on April 15. Among them, there were 13,130 arrivals, with 93% coming through four points of entry in Upper Nile State in South Sudan.