Donors pledge 1.5 billion US$ to support humanitarian response in Sudan and the region, including in Egypt

Donors convened in a UN-led high-level event to support the humanitarian response to the Sudan crisis pledged around 1.5 billion US$ on Monday to help fund live-saving relief efforts in Sudan and neighboring countries, including Egypt, while appealing to the warring parties to immediately end the fighting.   

The ministerial-level pledging event in Geneva was organized by the United Nations and the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the European Union.

Addressing the event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the people of Sudan and those of neighboring countries are shouldering the burden of a terrible crisis.

“We must do everything we can to support them. And the UN stands with the courageous Sudanese people, their wishes and hopes for a better future,” noted the UN chief.

The commitment shown by donors to those affected “comes just in time, declared the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, as he warned that the UN refugee agency’s resources for the situation were dwindling. He further appealed for funds to be urgently allocated and disbursed so that more aid can reach those in dire need in Sudan and in neighboring countries.

“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," he said.

as of 19 June, more than 250,000 Sudanese people have fled the conflict in Sudan to Egypt, UNHCR announced, based on the latest figures received from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This makes up 60 percent of those fleeing Sudan, according to Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. Addressing the conference, Mr. Shoukry urged the international community to “provide humanitarian assistance and financial support to host communities in neighboring countries to promote resilience and ensure peaceful coexistence.”

In Egypt, and within an estimated 470 million US$ regional response plan, UNHCR is leading the UN Country Team response to the Sudan crisis, in close coordination with the government of Egypt. The relief effort in Egypt incorporates 25 partners working together to fulfil the needs of those who were forced to flee as well as the hosting communities in Egypt, said UNHCR Egypt Representative Hanan Hamdan.

According to Ms. Hamdan, $114 million is needed for UNHCR and partners to be able to support around 360,000 people for a duration of six months.

With the conflict in Sudan entering its second month, the United Nations and its partners have been appealing for US$3 billion to help millions of people in the country and hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighboring countries.