The United Kingdom donated US$2.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to cover the basic humanitarian needs of South Sudanese refugees in Sudan.

In a statement released in Khartoum, UNHCR’s Representative in Sudan, Noriko Yoshida, said: “The United Kingdom’s support for South Sudanese refugees has been unwavering.”

He further said since 2014 when South Sudanese refugees started arriving in large numbers, the government and people of the United Kingdom have provided over £8 million (around US$10 million) to UNHCR in support of South Sudanese refugees.

“This is a major and timely contribution to our efforts to respond to the urgent and growing needs of South Sudanese refugees,” he said.

For his part, the head of British Department for International Development (DFID) Christopher Pycroft reiterated the UK commitment to assist South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, of which 85% are vulnerable women and children.

“Since 2014, the UK Government has worked with UNHCR and partners to give 164,200 South Sudanese refugees food assistance, vital water and sanitation infrastructure and shelter for new arrivals, helping restore their dignity and rebuild their lives. We will continue to provide this support,” he said.

There are 332,000 refugees from South Sudan, mostly women and children, who have arrived since December 2013.

Photo: UNHCR and the Sudan Red Crescent Society (SRCS) distribute non-food item kits to newly arrived South Sudanese families seeking refuge in East Darfur’s Khor Omer IDP camp/UNHCR