By JULIUS BARIGABA
In Summary
- EU also noted that the number of asylum seekers pouring into the region is “expected to grow,” adding that the new funding was crucial in host countries but particularly in South Sudan.
- The $649 million requested by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the South Sudan crisis is only 25 per of the needed humanitarian assistance.
- Since fighting erupted in South Sudan in December 2013, the EU has been one of the biggest donors of the world’s youngest nation, providing close to a billion dollars to date.
The European Union’s announcement of a $83.8 million package
for the South Sudan refugee crisis has provided a timely boost, but a
huge funding gap has been reported.
The EU announced the package on November 11 after a visit by EU
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos
Stylianides to Uganda’s Bidibidi refugee camp.
The EU also noted that the number of asylum seekers pouring into
the region is “expected to grow,” with Mr Stylianides adding that the
new funding was crucial in host countries but particularly in South
Sudan.
The $649 million requested by the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the South Sudan crisis is only 25
per of the needed humanitarian assistance.
The total number of South Sudanese refugees outside the country as of October 31 was 1,259,036.
The EU envoy noted that Uganda was now “host to the largest
number of South Sudanese refugees,” who had reached 450,783, surpassing
Ethiopia as the country hosting the largest number of refugees on the
African continent.
UNHCR says the financial requirements for South Sudan situation
totalled to $649 million, of which only 24 per cent was funded,
prompting ongoing assistance in multiple locations to stall.
Despite Brussels coming to the UN refugee agency’s rescue with the package, the UNHCR has a significant funding shortfall.
Allocations
Of this amount, $43 million will be allocated to humanitarian
organisations in South Sudan, while $32 million will help South Sudanese
refugees in Uganda and a further $8.6 million will fund urgent and
lifesaving activities in Sudan The funds will be spent on provision of
shelter, nutrition, healthcare and sanitation.
In Tanzania, the German government has offered $11.8 million to
the World Food Programme and UNHCR to provide relief services to
refugees in the country.
WFP will receive $7 million to directly provide food while the
rest will facilitate the operations of non governmental organisations
working with refugees in Tanzania, said Egon Kochanke, German ambassador
to Tanzania.
According to UNHCR, there are 239,840 refugees in Tanzania, with Burundians and Congolese being the majority.
Until October this year, 9,127 people had registered in Tanzania
from Burundi, and about 798 from the Democratic Republic of Congo while
15 came from Syria.
Since fighting erupted in South Sudan in December 2013, the EU
has been one of the biggest donors of the world’s youngest nation,
providing close to a billion dollars to date.
In spite of pumping in this amount of aid, the EU termed the
situation as “the worst food security crisis since Independence” with
“virtually no healthcare services.”
Additional reporting by Beatrice Materu.
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