Media release | Friday, 19 April 2024
More than a dozen humanitarian groups have written to Foreign Minister Penny Wong urging the Australian Government to commit $50 million for lifesaving aid in war-torn Sudan.
The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID),Sudanese Australian Advocacy Network (SAAN) and Micah Australia called on the federal government to find new funds for the growing humanitarian crisis.
The letter – signed by groups including Oxfam Australia, Unicef Australia and Save the Children – warned Australia was falling behind its allies following combined commitments of more than €2 billion (AUD$3.3 billion) from Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Canada.
ACFID Humanitarian Advisor Naomi Brooks said:
"More than eight million Sudanese people have been forced to flee their homes over the past year. Nearly 18 million people, three million of them children, cannot find enough food to eat and are at risk of famine.
"The war shows no signs of abating after a year of fighting. Sudan is on the brink of complete collapse without an urgent injection of humanitarian funding.
"The $20 million previously committed by Australia is welcome, but we are falling behind our allies. The government must fulfill its international obligations and show leadership by stepping up with $50 million in new funding for Sudan.
SAAN Co-founder and President Amad Mohamed said:
"Survival in Sudan is becoming more difficult by the day as shelter, food and medicine become increasingly scarce. Families have been separated and children orphaned.
"The 13,000 Sudanese people who call Australia home are terrified for the safety of their families desperately looking for refuge that does not exist.
"While Australia and the world is rightly focused on the horrific situation in Gaza, it must not forget the Sudanese people."
