EU envoy asks South Sudan to join humanitarian efforts

JUBA – The International Community is asking the South Sudanese government to participate in and bolster ongoing humanitarian initiatives in the country, especially as international funding is anticipated to decrease next year.

European Union Ambassador to South Sudan, Timo Olkkonen, emphasized this plea during a ceremony in Juba where the IOM and UNHCR formalized an agreement on a regional program.

“We are looking at the government [of South Sudan] also to carry its share on social sector and responding to the humanitarian crisis because in the long term, the solution needs to come from the South Sudanese themselves,” he said.

He emphasized that the government’s demonstrated political will should be substantiated by financial commitments in education, employment, livelihoods, and healthcare.

John McCue, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in South Sudan, highlighted the European Union’s new funding, warmly welcomed by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

The IOM and UNHCR signed an agreement allocating 17 million EUR to support countries like Ethiopia, Chad, and South Sudan, with 8 million EUR designated for South Sudan.

Since the conflict’s onset in Sudan on April 15, 2023, South Sudan has accommodated over 2.2 million internally displaced persons and more than 337,000 refugees, with over 425,985 individuals crossing into South Sudan.

This funding aims to enable returnees and refugees to access national services, including healthcare and education, and to provide economic opportunities that enhance their self-reliance.

The program is slated to operate from December 2023 until June 2025.