Canadian Minister for International Development Harjit Sajjan announces $71 million in humanitarian assistance for Sudan and two neighboring countries facing an influx of refugees following severe violence in that country.
East African countries are facing huge migration flows of people fleeing the devastating escalation of violence that began in Sudan on April 15.
“The challenges are immense and they should not be met alone,” Mr. Sajjan told reporters Wednesday on Parliament Hill. The situation is deteriorating and the Sudanese people still need our help. »
The Minister specified that the financial aid will pass through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and non-governmental organizations, in order to provide the region with food, water, sanitation services and sanitation and basic health services.
Nearly $31 million will go to Sudan proper and roughly the same amount will go to South Sudan, which seceded in 2011.
Canada will also send $10 million to the Central African Republic, southwest of the other two countries. These funds will be paid to fifteen organizations and agencies, ranging from the World Food Program to Doctors Without Borders.
Minister Sajjan said Wednesday that Ottawa had set aside this funding for the region before the conflict began, but that it would now accelerate the delivery of these sums to help people fleeing violence in Sudan.
He added that Canada would pledge more money after visiting the region, likely later this month, for the African Development Bank’s general meetings in Egypt. Mr. Sajjan also said he hoped to visit Chad and meet with officials of the African Union, based in Ethiopia.
By then, he said, it should be clearer which countries have ended up taking in displaced people, who are currently wandering around trying to find some semblance of safety.
“Once we have this assessment and the UN submits its requests, we will provide additional funds,” he said.
Mr. Sajjan also said that the funding announced on Wednesday was structured in a flexible way, so that the various agencies can expand existing programs to cope with the influx of refugees.
Defense Minister Anita Anand also said on Wednesday that Canada had given up using a military airport in Khartoum for evacuation flights, due to logistical and security concerns. Instead, the military is focusing on helping people making the perilous overland journey to Sudan’s Red Sea coast.
“We still have two ships off the coast of Sudan and we are working closely with Global Affairs Canada and with our allies to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians,” she told reporters.
Passes requested
A struggle for control of Sudan has erupted after months of escalating tensions between the national army and a rival paramilitary group, called the Rapid Support Forces. The capital, Khartoum, has become a veritable war zone and Western countries have decided to evacuate their nationals.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths arrived in Sudan on Wednesday, saying he was seeking guarantees from warring parties for the safe passage of humanitarian aid. He noted criticism that the UN had been slow to respond, with its agencies saying they had few resources and limited staff.
Even before fighting broke out last month, Sudan was a country where a third of the population depended on humanitarian aid.
The two sides had reached a new ceasefire, which is due to expire on Thursday, but like previous agreements, it did not actually end all fighting.
Sajjan said he was troubled by how quickly the conflict unfolded, after Canada’s work with allies to try to bring peace to the region in recent years. He said large flows of desperate people not only lead to hunger and suffering, but also political instability which can create more crises.
He noted that the UN was already receiving a fraction of the funding it would need to safely house the refugees, with the organization saying this week that it only had 15% of the money it needed to support displaced people in Chad. “Canada is raising its hand to do its part,” insisted Mr. Sajjan.
The conflict has so far left 550 dead, including civilians, and more than 4,900 injured. The fighting has displaced at least 334,000 people inside Sudan and sent tens of thousands more to neighboring countries – Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Ethiopia , according to UN agencies.
Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Sajjan, Anita Vandenbeld, said Canadian-funded aid workers aren’t just helping people: they’re also providing key information on how Ottawa can best respond. She pointed out that three World Food Program staff were killed last month in Darfur.
“Aid workers are the last to go out and the first to come back. They put themselves on the front line, because they care deeply, and they have strong knowledge and partnerships on the ground,” she said.
Ms. Vandenbeld and her colleagues also pointed out that women will be key to finding a lasting resolution to the crisis in Sudan, for example through those Canada has trained to act as peace negotiators.
“We cannot just see women as victims. We have to see them as leaders and the solutions that come from women’s organizations that are very strong in the region. »