SOME €2 MILLION in emergency assistance for Sudan and South Sudan was announced today to provide food, water, shelter and basic healthcare to the most vulnerable communities.

The funding was announced today by Minister for Trade and Development Joe Costello who said many communities remain “extremely vulnerable to disease and food shortages as a result of decades of conflict and chronic underdevelopment”.

More than 4 million people do not have access to enough nutritious food in South Sudan.

In Sudan, the UN estimates that 4.4 million people need assistance, with 3.5 million people in Darfur alone in need of emergency food assistance and almost 1.5 million people continue to live in temporary camps.

Welcoming the announcement today, CEO of GOAL, Barry Andrews said the money is “vital” to reduce malnutrition, and in the case of South Sudan, the world’s highest rate of maternal mortality.

This funding is being channeled through the United Nations’ Common Humanitarian Funds for Sudan and South Sudan. This additional assistance brings Ireland’s total support to Sudan and South Sudan to almost €5.5 million in 2013.

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