Sudan: Commission allocates €15 million to victims

Sudan: Commission allocates €15 million to victims of the Darfur conflict

The European Commission has released an additional €15 million in humanitarian aid for the victims of the protracted crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. This amount will enable partners to continue providing victims with food and nutritional support, shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, emergency health care and protection for vulnerable civilians.

The aid will be channelled through ECHO, the European Commission’s humanitarian aid department, which comes under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel. Commenting on the decision, Louis Michel said: “As Darfur slips out of the media spotlight it is essential to prevent it becoming another ‘forgotten’ crisis. The European Commission is committed to providing humanitarian aid for Darfur as long as the needs remain, and we urge other donors to do likewise. There is a glimmer of hope in Sudan which is encouraging some people displaced by conflict to return home. The Commission insists that these returns must be safe and voluntary, to ensure that Sudan stays on the path to peace.”

More than one third of the population of Darfur (2.5 million people) are affected by this protracted crisis, including 1.8 million people displaced in Sudan and 200,000 refugees in Chad. Despite the positive impact of African Union troops present in the region, the situation remains grim and confused. There is a high degree of insecurity, human rights violations against civilians continue, and banditry and harassment of humanitarian agencies is on the increase.

This decision will help to address some of the most pressing humanitarian needs: the lack of health service and water supply, overcrowded camps, and food shortages due to the poor harvest. Funds will ensure that life saving activities for people remaining fully dependent on humanitarian aid can continue. It brings to €113 million the total amount mobilised by ECHO in favour of the vulnerable people of Darfur since the beginning of this crisis in February 2003. ECHO remains committed to Sudan in general and we are also following closely the situation in South and East Sudan. A total of €152 million has been mobilised in Commission humanitarian aid for Sudan (including Darfur) since 2004.

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