Sudan crisis: UAE provides $7m to Unicef for vital aid efforts

UAE continues its support of Sudanese people and calls for peaceful solution to the conflict

The UAE is committed to alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and assisting millions in need. Photo: Wam

The UAE is to provide $7 million in support for critical humanitarian efforts in Sudan and South Sudan.

State news agency Wam on Friday said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has agreed with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) to provide the funds which underscores the UAE’s commitment to alleviating the humanitarian crises in these countries.

It was agreed that $6m will go towards Unicef’s activities in Sudan and $1m in South Sudan.

The conflict in Sudan has escalated into a dire crisis, with about 13.6 million children needing urgent assistance, Wam reported.

The civil war has raged for more than a year and forced more than six million people, more than half of whom are children, to flee their homes, making Sudan the centre of the world's largest child displacement crisis, it added.

Funds provided by the UAE will bolster Unicef’s efforts to ensure that children and women in Sudan and South Sudan have access to primary health care, sufficient quality water and education through both formal and non-formal channels, including early learning programmes.

"The UAE is deeply committed to supporting the most vulnerable populations affected by conflict, particularly children, who are bearing the brunt of the crisis in Sudan and South Sudan,” said Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation.

“Through this agreement with Unicef, we are reinforcing our dedication to providing life-saving assistance and ensuring that children have access to the essential services they desperately need.”

Ms Al Hashimy said the UAE would continue to stand by the people of Sudan and work with international partners to address the challenges there.

“This has most recently been illustrated by the UAE’s participation in the Sudan talks in Geneva as an observer, which aim to ensure the delivery of aid to those in need, especially to the most vulnerable,” she said.

“In this regard, the UAE welcomes the movement of humanitarian actors and aid through the Adre Crossing.”

The Adre crossing from Chad is the shortest route to deliver humanitarian assistance into Sudan.

Over the past decade, the UAE has provided more than $3.5 billion in aid to the Sudanese people. Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2023, the UAE has provided $230m in humanitarian aid and dispatched 159 relief flights, delivering more than 10,000 tonnes of food, medical, and relief supplies.

Additionally, the UAE has built two field hospitals in Chad, which have provided medical treatment to more than 45,000 people.

The country in April also committed $100m to support humanitarian efforts in Sudan and its neighbouring countries.

The pledge was made by Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan, Minister of State, at an international conference in Paris to support the country.

The UAE has called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict and a peaceful solution, Wam said.

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