By Sonia Odigie
The United States (U.S.) has announced the provision of over $117 million additional humanitarian assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to South Sudan.
The Press Relations office of USSAID said in a statement that the humanitarian assistance, announced on Thursday, was to ameliorate the devastating effects of violence, food insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic and successive years of widespread flooding on the people of South Sudan.
The funding, the statement added, was made available following the drawdown of the full balance of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, an effort in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture which will provide an additional $670 million in food assistance to respond to historic levels of acute food insecurity around the world.
With these funds, the U.S. government is supporting the UN World Food Program to provide food and nutrition assistance to more than one million crisis-affected people, including refugees and individuals facing malnutrition, across South Sudan.
The United States continues to lend a helping hand to the people of South Sudan as the country experiences compounding crises.
The full statement reads: “The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing more than $117 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of South Sudan, who continue to experience the devastating effects of violence, food insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic, and successive years of widespread flooding.
“This funding was made available following the drawdown of the full balance of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, an effort in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture which will provide an additional $670 million in food assistance to respond to historic levels of acute food insecurity around the world.
“With these funds, the U.S. government is supporting the UN World Food Program to provide food and nutrition assistance to more than one million crisis-affected people, including refugees and individuals facing malnutrition, across South Sudan. The United States continues to stand with the people of South Sudan as the country experiences compounding crises.”