By Charles K Mark
United States’ Ambassador to South Sudan has urged the government to increase its financial contribution towards humanitarian assistance in the country.
Ambassador, Michael J. Adler made the call after a visit to Gorom refugee settlement, on the outskirts of Juba, on Wednesday.
He witnessed dire conditions of the refugees in Gorom, saying the government urgently needs increase its contributions to the humanitarian response.
“This is the obligation of the Transitional Government as well as a necessity given increased global demands for international humanitarian assistance,” Adler echoed.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management announced the receipt of $10 million for humanitarian interventions from the finance ministry.
Humanitarian affairs minister Albino Akol Atak had earlier disclosed that the money would be used for transporting refugees and returnees from transit centers to resettlement areas.
The minister noted that the government and partners took on the responsibility of transporting returnees escaping the raging war from neighboring Sudan to avoid congestion in the transit centers.
Gorom Refugee Settlement in Juba County, Central Equatoria State, 26 km west of Juba City, was originally built in 2010 with an estimate to host 2,500 Ethiopian refugees fleeing conflict in the Gambella region of Ethiopia.
But since the onset of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, the camp is said to have expanded to accommodate over 7,000 Sudanese new arrivals, bringing the total population to over 10,000 people.
Ambassador Adler noted that U.S. government assistance to returnees and refugees in South Sudan this year will exceed $100 million.
But he insisted, “As the security situation in Sudan continues to displace people, it will become even more urgent for the transitional government to make sincere commitments to assistance.”
The US envoy pressured the government to take meaningful action to allocate funding, resources, and personnel to address the growing humanitarian crisis in South Sudan.
Meanwhile, the cabinet, in one of its ordinary sittings, directed the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Albino Akol, to visit the United Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait to seek support.
The rounds of visits were meant for the delivery of letters explaining the humanitarian situation in the country.
Efforts by No. 1 Citizen Daily English Newspaper, to reach minister of humanitarian affairs for a comment on the US ambassador’s call were futile by press time.
So far, the government has pledged about 15.3 million US dollars for humanitarian intervention. And, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said it has used 3 million US dollars for evacuation.