On September 23, 2016, the United States announced nearly $133 million in new humanitarian assistance for South Sudanese refugees, who now number over one million, as well as for internally displaced persons in South Sudan. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Gayle Smith announced the additional funding at the “High Level Side Event on South Sudan” on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. This additional funding brings the total U.S. humanitarian aid for the people of South Sudan to nearly $1.9 billion since the start of the conflict in December 2013.
Aid can only be effective if it reaches the people who need it most. No amount of humanitarian aid will end the violence or provide lasting solutions to this man-made crisis. This is why the U.S. demands that all parties stop attacks against civilians, allow humanitarians unrestricted access to those in need throughout South Sudan, and cease violations of international humanitarian law and principles. We call on South Sudan’s leaders to prioritize the safety and security of the citizens they represent, to restore stable environments for civilians and humanitarians, and to enable people to rebuild their lives.
More than 2.7 million people have had to flee their homes — either to other parts of South Sudan or to neighboring countries as refugees. We commend Uganda and the other neighboring countries that have provided asylum to the refugees — the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan.
Forty percent of South Sudan’s population is now in need of life-saving assistance, with some people on the brink of starvation. The new funding will boost emergency health services, increase access to clean water and sanitation, provide support to survivors of gender-based violence, increase access to emergency education for refugee children, and build and expand new refugee camps throughout the region. Our assistance will also help feed the hungry, provide nutrition supplements for children suffering from malnutrition, and reunite families separated by the fighting. The U.S. encourages other donors to provide timely additional humanitarian assistance for South Sudanese.
