Canberra, November 28 (IANS). The Australian Government has pledged additional assistance to address the famine and humanitarian needs in Sudan.
The federal government on Wednesday evening announced 17 million Australian dollars ($11.04 million) in humanitarian aid for Sudan amid the country’s ongoing civil war, Xinhua news agency reported.
The total amount of humanitarian assistance provided by Australia to Sudan and neighboring countries since the beginning of the conflict in April 2023 has reached 50 million Australian dollars ($32.4 million).
Sudan is facing the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement alongside Assistant Secretary of State Tim Watts and International Development and the Pacific Minister Pat Conroy.
According to the United Nations World Food Programme, more than 25 million people in Sudan are facing severe hunger. Wong condemned the violence against civilians and aid workers in the region and appealed to all parties to agree to a permanent ceasefire.
Earlier, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) had announced the arrival of the aid convoy on November 22 at the Zamzam refugee camp in North Darfur state in western Sudan. This was the first aid convoy to arrive here since August. WFP issued a statement saying that the first food aid convoy arrived in Zamzam camp in North Darfur on 22 November, while other convoys were heading to other inaccessible areas.
The statement said it was the first convoy to reach the camp in Zamzam, North Darfur, since famine was confirmed in August. More than 700 trucks carrying WFP food aid have departed across Sudan.
–IANS
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