Press release – DCA South Sudan
By mid-2024, just under 2,000 people cross into South Sudan every day in a desperate attempt to flee the escalating conflict in Sudan. Violence has displaced more than seven million people within Sudan and forced over two million others to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, with more than 744,000 entering South Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.
Many of those crossing the border into South Sudan escaped violence and conflict in that very country only a few years back. But while people flee active conflict in Sudan they arrive in a dire situation in South Sudan, where food is scarce and the risk of facing violence, especially for women and children, is also very high.
Hunger looms for nine million people
The combined effects of national displacement, conflict, economic crisis, and climate change have left over 9.4 million people in South Sudan in need of humanitarian aid. An estimated 8-9 million people are expected to experience acute food insecurity in 2024, with 1.6 million children under five facing acute malnutrition and urgently needing nutritional support.
In this desperate setting the European Union offers vital – and life-saving – assistance through the funding of the humanitarian response, launched by DanChurchAid and its partners Christian Aid, Nile Hope, UNIDOR and Africa Development Aid (ADA).
As part of the response those in need receive a small amount of cash that enables them to purchase food, medicine, and clothing. There is also focus on reducing and responding to high levels of gender-based violence affecting women and children by offering psychosocial support, dignity and hygiene kits, and case management.
“EU funding for local South Sudanese organisations is a lifeline for those displaced by the Sudanese conflict. It empowers local responders who understand the specific needs and builds lasting solutions for a brighter future” says Rahab Wanja, Project Lead and Food Security and Livelihood Specialist from Nile Hope, implementing partner of DanChurchAid in Pibor, Ulang and Fashoda.
“With the current situation in South Sudan and taking the recent flood predictions for this year into consideration, there is a need for strong collaboration across actors, and we are happy for the support from the EU that enables us and our partners to provide efficient and life-saving support to the most vulnerable communities,” says Ida Højgaard, Programme Manager, DCA South Sudan.
About EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid
The European Union and its Member States are among the world’s leading donors of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by disasters and human-induced crises. Through the Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations of the European Commission, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.
