U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke recently with the commander of Sudan's armed forces about maintaining a temporary ceasefire to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region.
Blinken "urged flexibility and leadership" in the "step-by-step process" when he spoke with General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, DOS spokesperson Matthew Miller stated in a May 20 news release.
"The Secretary again condemned the violence by both parties that has resulted in the death and injury of many Sudanese civilians," Miller stated in the release, "underscoring that agreement in Jeddah [Saudi Arabia] would allow the provision of humanitarian assistance and essential services that are desperately needed by the Sudanese people."
The northeastern Africa country of Sudan erupted when fighting broke out in April between Burhan's military forces and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. At least 863 civilians, including at least 190 children have been killed and more than 3,530 people have been wounded in the fighting, the Associated Press (AP) reported May 23. Over a million Sudanese have fled their homes; 840,000 to safer parts of the country and at least 250,000 others going to neighboring countries, according to the AP report.
Sec. Blinken acknowledged the U.S. response to the humanitarian crisis in a social media post.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been mediating talks between the factions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. On May 20, representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces signed an Agreement on Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements. Under the agreement, the parties agreed to facilitate the delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance, restore essential services, and withdraw forces from hospitals and essential public facilities.
Al Jazeera reported ongoing fighting in Sudan despite the agreement, and the situation remains volatile.
The United States pledged $245 million to provide crucial support to the people of Sudan and neighboring countries who are grappling with the ongoing humanitarian crisis, according to the DOS news release.
The funds allocated comprise nearly $143 million from the Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugee and Migration, along with another $103 million in humanitarian assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. With this latest announcement, the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for Sudan and neighboring nations, including Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic for the fiscal year 2023 now amounts to nearly $880 million.
“The United States is proud to provide $245 million in humanitarian assistance to support refugees, displaced persons, and host communities in Sudan and neighboring countries,” Blinken said in a tweet on May 23.
