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UN grants Sudan $10 million from emergency fund

Countries
Sudan
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

The United Nations’ Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has granted Sudan US$ 10 million to meet emergency needs in Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan regions, making Sudan one of the highest recipients of CERF funding this year.

The first half of 2013 witnessed a series of clashes between armed groups and government troops as well as numerous inter-tribal clashes in Sudan. “With thousands of families fleeing their homes as a result of these conflicts in Darfur and in South and North Kordofan states, the demand for humanitarian assistance increased suddenly and beyond anticipated needs,” said Ali Al-Za’tari, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan.

This CERF funding is provided at a crucial time to ensure that the UN and partners can meet the humanitarian needs of these vulnerable people.

US$ 8 million will support life-saving services in the Darfur states, where more than 300,000 people have been newly displaced in 2013. This is more than the number of people displaced in Darfur in the previous two years combined.

The sheer numbers of people arriving in camps have severely strained existing services and supplies, which increases the risk of contagious disease outbreaks and depletes already scarce water and other natural resources. The health sector caseload has increased by an estimated 250,000 people. The CERF grant will allow primary and maternal health care services to continue and ensure drugs and medical supplies are available. The funding will also help ensure there is food distribution and livelihoods support to vulnerable groups.

In the South and North Kordofan states, clashes between armed groups and government forces have displaced at least 90,000 in 2013 alone. UN and partners’ projects are receiving US$ 1.9 million from the CERF.

Food insecurity is of particular concern. Assessments in government controlled areas of South and West Kordofan revealed shortages in cereals, and poor households in conflict affected areas are expected to experience stressed or crisis levels of food insecurity into the autumn. The CERF funding will help to ensure food assistance is available to those who need it.

The conflict also means that newly displaced children have had their schooling disrupted: an estimated 16,000 primary-school aged children in North Kordofan were forced from their homes. The CERF funding will help to buy and distribute emergency education supplies so that children whose lives and schooling have been disrupted can have some routine and normalcy restored.

The CERF provides funding for suddenly arising emergencies as well as underfunded emergencies worldwide.

For further information, please contact Alimbek Tashtankulov, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (tashtankulov@un.org / +249 912 170 417)

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.