Today, the United States, through USAID, announced that it intends to provide $38 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Sudan, including $23 million to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in support of UNICEF’s ongoing assistance to the children of Sudan. USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa Tyler Beckelman announced the funding in conjunction with the Unite with the Children of Sudan event in Nairobi, Kenya, organized by USAID, UNICEF, and Save the Children, to highlight the challenges young Sudanese face amid 14 months of war. This announcement brings the total U.S. government humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people to more than $1.4 billion since October 2022.
Fourteen months of warfare between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have left an estimated 14 million children – more than half of the 24 million children in Sudan – in need of humanitarian assistance, including nearly four million children estimated to face acute malnutrition in 2024. Khartoum and parts of the Darfur region are experiencing famine-like conditions with an increasing risk of Famine during the June to September lean season, underscoring the urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance. Ongoing obstruction by the SAF and RSF is preventing humanitarians from reaching Sudanese in desperate need of food, medicine, and other lifesaving assistance.
With this additional support from USAID, UNICEF and international nongovernmental organization partners will be able to continue their vital relief efforts in support of the children of Sudan. Since the start of the conflict, UNICEF has screened millions of children ages five years and younger for malnutrition. UNICEF also operates more than 1,000 safe spaces in Sudan, allowing conflict-affected children to access counseling, learning, and protection services that address their mental health, development, and wellbeing. With USAID support, UNICEF is also supporting maternal and child health services, including essential vaccination campaigns in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.
The United States continues to stand with the people of Sudan amid this ongoing conflict and worsening needs. While robust funding for humanitarian assistance to sustain humanitarian operations is vital to keeping people alive in Sudan, funding alone is not enough. The parties to the conflict must immediately and permanently cease hostilities, end their interference in humanitarian operations, and facilitate safe and unhindered access for humanitarian staff and supplies to reach populations in need across borders and across lines of conflict.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United States Agency for International Development (USAID).