The UK will contribute £2 million in support for Sudanese refugees who are fleeing escalating violence in Darfur, the development minister has announced.
According to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), an estimated two million-plus people have fled Sudan due to the violence which erupted following a coup in April last year, including more than 1,200 people entering Libya daily.
Development minister Annaliese Dodds says the funding will go towards the humanitarian response in the hard-to-reach Alkufra region, where the United Nations estimates up to 45,000 refugees are in desperate need of support.
Dodds said in a statement: “The UK is committed to delivering life-saving aid to some of the world’s most vulnerable people, including children, as they flee violence in war-torn Sudan.
“Alongside our international partners, this support in Libya will deliver much-needed water and emergency health, sanitation and hygiene services to these displaced refugees.”
The FCDO said the decision reflects the Government’s commitment to work with international partners to address the humanitarian crises which lead people to flee their homes and to strengthen support for refugees in their home region.
Sudan’s war began in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces developed into open fighting throughout the country.
The conflict has killed more than 14,000 people and injured at least 33,000 others, according to the UN.
PA – John Besley