EU offers S Sudan extra million Euros in aid

The European Commission has released 20 million Euros in new humanitarian assistance for South Sudan.

In a statement, the commission says additional funds will be used to meet urgent food assistance needs, as well as to provide basic emergency health and nutrition services.

The new funding comes just few months after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned that an estimated 3.9 million people are facing severe hunger.

In Unity State alone, it says an estimated 40 000 people will face famine if aid is not provided.

“The suffering of the people of South Sudan is beyond imagination. The humanitarian situation is disastrous two years since the start of the conflict. The country is now on the brink of famine, while aid workers struggle to reach those in need,” said Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

“It is crucial that humanitarian access is granted and lifesaving assistance provided urgently to the South Sudanese people. The reported violations of international humanitarian law and abuses against civilians must stop. The people of South Sudan deserve to live in peace.”

The new funding brings the Commission’s total humanitarian assistance for South Sudan and the neighboring countries affected by the crisis to nearly 165 million Euros for 2015.