Humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock to travel to Sudan and South Sudan
May 14, 2018The purpose of his mission is to see first-hand the protracted humanitarian situation in Sudan and the devastating consequences of ongoing violence in South Sudan
KHARTOUM, Sudan, May 14, 2018,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- WHO: Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
WHAT: Mission to Sudan and South Sudan
WHEN: 12 -16 May 2018
WHERE: Sudan: Khartoum, South Kordofan; South Sudan: Juba, Yei
Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will travel to Sudan and South Sudan from 12 to 16 May 2018. The purpose of his mission is to see first-hand the protracted humanitarian situation in Sudan and the devastating consequences of ongoing violence in South Sudan.
In Sudan 12-14 May, the USG will meet people displaced by conflict in South Kordofan and engage with senior Government officials and humanitarian partners in Khartoum. Sudan is one of the world’s largest protracted emergencies with at least 5.5 million people in need of assistance including 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). The humanitarian community has appealed for US$1 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need in 2018, of which $229 million has been received. With the country facing high inflation, needs may rise further. Some $566 million is urgently needed to assist the most vulnerable in the next six months.
In South Sudan 15-16 May, USG Lowcock will witness the current humanitarian situation there and call for urgent action to alleviate suffering. During the two-day mission Mr. Lowcock is scheduled to meet with people affected by the humanitarian crisis, senior Government officials and humanitarian partners.
The South Sudan crisis continues to grow in severity, scale and scope. The conflict has worsened food insecurity, with 7.1 million people at risk of becoming severely food insecure in coming months. The South Sudan Humanitarian Response plan is currently just 14 per cent funded, leaving a gap of nearly $1.5 billion. Urgent resources are needed to enable partners to scale-up their response.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of United Nations (UN).
