By Aweye Teddy Onam
South Sudan is lobbying for humanitarian assistance in the Middle East.
Council of Ministers, on Friday, directed the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Albino Akol to visit the United Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
According to Deputy Information Minister Jacob Maiju Korok, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management will deliver letters and explain the humanitarian situation in the country.
Korok said cooperation agreements have been discussed by the council of ministers, and the three countries are willing to provide humanitarian support to South Sudan.
“So also, to explain very thoroughly the situations of the refugees and also a possible way of support, so all the three meetings, they were quarterly and also the three countries, they have the willingness to support South Sudan by delivering some humanitarian support,” he told journalist on Friday.
“And also, there was an agreement, we call it cooperation agreement between South Sudan and Saudi Arabia which was signed on 24th January 2022. So, the Saudi Arabia part was actually ratified and they’re asking South Sudan to ratify the agreement.”
According to the Minister of Humanitarian Minister, at least 297,044 individuals who fled the war in Sudan have reached the country since the conflict started on April 15, and need urgent assistance.
The minister noted that eight percent of the aforementioned figures are Sudanese refugees, while third-country expatriates constitute one percent.
The majority of those who arrived in the country—almost 80 percent—came via the Joda, Renk, and Maban borders; the rest came through the northern and western Bahr el Ghazal states, including Unity State.
According to Albino, the figure is expected to increase as war rages in Sudan and calls on donors and partners to urgently intervene.
So far, the government of South Sudan has pledged about 15.3 million US dollars for humanitarian intervention. And as of now, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said it has used 3 million US dollars for evacuation.