Humanitarian needs reach US$982 million
Khartoum 16 July 2014: A significant increase in humanitarian needs in Sudan during the first six months of 2014 has necessitated a revision of the Sudan Response Plan. Aid agencies in Sudan now urgently require $982 million to assist 6.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance (roughly 20% of Sudan’s population). Humanitarian needs vary to include shelter, protection, nutrition, health, and potable water.
The first half of 2014 saw more people displaced in Darfur than in any single year since the height of the crisis in 2004. Conflict in South Sudan has driven over 85,000 people across the border to seek refuge in Sudan, particularly in White Nile State. And, following a comprehensive Sudan-wide survey, revised the planning figures for malnutrition showed an increase in people suffering from acute malnutrition especially children.
Given these new needs, aid agencies in Sudan have reassessed their priorities and refocused primarily on the immediate delivery of life saving assistance. Although many of the conflicts generating humanitarian needs in Sudan are protracted, the vulnerabilities faced by affected communities are acute. For example, the water and sanitation services for newly displaced people who have fled to Darfur’s camps are now severely overstretched, giving rise to the spread of diseases such as jaundice and hepatitis E.
“Saving lives is a priority. The humanitarian needs generated by new displacement in Darfur come in addition to the needs of some 2.2 million people in Darfur who live in camps, displaced by a conflict that has gone on for over 11 years. Due to the scale of this new displacement and the declining capacity of relief agencies, the delivery of basic humanitarian services in Darfur is inadequate. This revised appeal pivots on ensuring people at immediate risk are prioritized for assistance,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Ali Al-Za’tari.
“The Sudan humanitarian response plan has been revised to reflect the deteriorating situation in Darfur, the influx of new refugees from South Sudan, and Sudan’s acute malnutrition crisis,” said Mr. Al-Za’tari. “To ensure that people made vulnerable by these crises get the assistance they need, I call on the donor community to support the Plan and help aid agencies obtain the humanitarian space needed to deliver relief where it is needed most”.
For a PDF version of the Revised Strategic Response Plan, click here.