By William Madouk
Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has deposited 3 billion South Sudanese pounds to humanitarian affairs, to respond to the dire situation of refugees and returnees.
According to Finance Minister Bak Barnaba Chol, the money is meant to cushion people who fled the Sudan war.
“In regard to humanitarian aid, two weeks ago we released one billion as our commitment to the total amount that we were supposed to pay. Was it five billion? So far, we have paid $3 billion,” said Bak.
“That in itself indicates our commitment to facilitate the transportation of our returnees and refugees from the border point,” he revealed on Monday while clarifying an alleged $3 billion deal with a US company.
To respond effectively to the humanitarian crisis, the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry had requested $5 million as an emergency response fund to address the needs of people fleeing the Sudan War.
The cabinet approved the fund, but only SSP 1 billion was transferred as the first installment.
On May 20, Albino Akol Atak, the humanitarian minister revealed the first installment had finished after conducting 20 trips from Palouch to Juba and Wau, carrying a total of over 7,000 people to their final destinations.
According to a statement issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in July 2023, nearly 3 million people have been displaced internally and across borders by the conflict in Sudan in less than three months.
In addition to the more than 2.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), nearly 700,000 others have fled to neighboring countries, according to the latest figures from the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM).
Most returnees and refugees are in transit centers, mainly in Palouch, Renk, and other parts of the country, along the border with the neighboring republic of Sudan.
Recently, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi appealed for one billion US dollars to address the humanitarian needs of Sudanese war victims in the region.
Mr. Grandi said out of the one billion dollars, South Sudan will receive 356 million, while the remaining will go to Chad and Egypt, among other countries receiving the Sudanese refugees.
Grandi stated that UNHCR had exhausted all the resources it had mobilized previously and currently needs more funds.