The United States plans to allocate over $315 million in extra humanitarian aid to aid Sudan, which is grappling with the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, according to Samantha Power, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Power urged Sudan’s military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to cease obstructing aid efforts and to facilitate a significant increase in humanitarian assistance to avert a potential loss of millions of lives.
Power emphasised that obstruction, rather than a lack of food supplies, is the main cause of the unprecedented and fatal starvation levels in Sudan, urging immediate change.
According to the United Nations, nearly 25 million people, which is half of Sudan’s population, are in need of aid, with approximately 8 million having fled their homes.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF began in April 2023, sparking the world’s largest displacement crisis.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that the Security Council must consider all options, including authorising aid from neighbouring countries if the warring parties do not respect international law and facilitate humanitarian access.
On Thursday, the U.N. Security Council demanded that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) halt the siege of al-Fashir, a city of 1.8 million people in Sudan’s North Darfur region, and called for an immediate end to the fighting in the area.
Top U.N. officials have warned that the escalating violence around al-Fashir could trigger bloody inter-communal strife throughout Darfur.
She emphasised that more must be done to compel the warring parties to stop the fighting and return to the negotiating table.
Additionally, she urged external supporters to cease sending weapons that fuel the conflict.
Thomas-Greenfield noted that the U.S. is pushing for ceasefire talks to resume and will continue to press Sudan’s army to reengage in negotiations.
This comes after General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in a conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined last month to resume talks under the Jeddah platform.
“We have been disappointed with the delays in beginning the talks,” she said.
Talks sponsored by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah have been stalled for months after failing to achieve a sustained ceasefire.
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