Antony Blinken announces aid of USD 200 million to Sudan at UNSC meet
Dec 20, 2024
New York [US] December 20 : US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken announced the additional assistance of USD 200 million to Sudan at the United Nations Security Council Meeting.
Blinken urged the UN member states to increase emergency relief to Sudan as the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RPF) has yet again intensified their firing against Sudanese Army.
Blinken noted that the conflict between RPF and Sudanese Armed Forces, which erupted in April 2023, has "derailed" Sudan's transition to democracy and had plunged Sudan in "worst" humanitarian crisis in the world.
Blinken in his remarks at UN Security Council Meeting said, "The brutal fighting that erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023 have derailed Sudan's transition to democracy and unleashed what is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Each day, as you heard from our briefers, brings new atrocities: attacks on hospitals, on markets, displaced persons camps. Summary executions. Women and girls are subjected to unspeakable sexual violence. We continue to see war crimes and crimes against humanity committed across vast parts of Sudan," as quoted by US State Department.
"Today, we're announcing an additional roughly $200 million more for food, for shelter, for health care, bringing total U.S. support to more than $2.3 billion since fighting broke out last year," Blinken announced.
Blinken suggested four ways to "intensify" humanitarian efforts in Sudan. He urged to increase the aid. He then suggested that the UN Council must press the Sudanese Army and RPF to bring an end to the fighting, Thirdly, he said that the council must stop the outside interest from "fanning the flames" in Sudan.
Lastly, Blinken urged the members to use resources to ease Sudan's suffering and not to deepen it. "Use your influence to end the war, not perpetuate it," he said.
On December 16, RPF attacked the city of el-Fasher in Sudan killing at least 38 people, as reported by Al Jazeera.
A volunteer group coordinating aid in el-Fasher said that RPF targeted el-Fasher "with four high-explosive missiles.
The conflict between RPF and the Sudanese army erupted in April 2023, as an aftermath of the Army coup in 2021.
