After clashes between rival militaries shattered the fragile peace in Sudan, residents were forced to seek refuge outside the country and many have been waiting for help for weeks, Reuters writes.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary groups began in the capital Khartoum in mid-April and has now taken over large areas across the country.
Hundreds of people have died, thousands have been injured, and a humanitarian crisis has been triggered,
coming at the worst possible moment.
Africa is already facing a wide range of problems, from droughts to floods, and ever-widening military conflicts. According to internal UN estimates, around five million people in Sudan are currently in need of aid, half of whom are children.
About 860,000 people are expected to leave Sudan for neighboring countries by October, putting an additional burden on countries that are already struggling with a severe humanitarian crisis under insufficient funding. In addition, a Reuters analysis of UN Africa funding data shows that support from major donor countries has declined.
Aid workers, diplomats and donor government officials told Reuters that providing additional funding is a long-term effort. Funding gaps are likely to widen as Europe focuses on aid to Ukraine, the impact of Brexit is felt and lawmakers in the US, the world’s biggest donor, plan budget cuts.
Every day, hundreds of Sudanese make their way across the desert fields and dried-up riverbeds that make up much of Sudan’s 1,400-kilometer border with Chad.
According to UN data, currently, around 30 thousand refugees have arrived in Chad.
Aid agencies are rushing to distribute emergency food packages and register arrivals, but resources are very limited.
Since 2020, Africa’s need for UN assistance has increased by almost 27%. As wealthy countries turned more to domestic affairs, including providing support during the pandemic, humanitarian aid to poor countries was greatly reduced. For example, Great Britain announced in 2021 that it will temporarily reduce the aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of the gross domestic product.
The UN funding does not show all the charitable funds that have gone to Africa, but officials say it shows trends in humanitarian aid. Great Britain is not an exception, other donor countries have also reviewed funding for humanitarian aid and its distribution.
The US, which in recent years accounted for the lion’s share of financial aid to Africa, is now struggling with domestic economic problems and is likely to see aid funding cut.
Fewer funds mean aid organizations are having to tighten their belts. The World Food Program has already reduced food rations in Nigeria, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. Without additional funding,
it would have to cut aid to some 700,000 refugees and internally displaced people in Chad.
Before the conflict broke out, Sudan was home to about a million refugees from South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Syria. About a third of Sudan’s 46 million people also relied on humanitarian aid. Lack of funding has already forced reductions in food rations for mothers and their babies last year. Now, an outbreak of violence has brought humanitarian operations to a halt. Aid workers have been killed, food warehouses looted and the World Food Program reports it is running out of supplies.
The World Food Program has reported that it has managed to procure enough food to support an additional 20,000 refugees for one month, but five times as many refugees are expected to arrive in Chad.
Read also: Western countries use the opportunity to evacuate their citizens from Sudan