Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated on Monday that the Kingdom stands by the Sudanese people as the situation remains volatile in the country.
Saudi government and people have spared no effort in supporting Sudanese people since the beginning of the crisis in Sudan, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan confirmed.
Prince Faisal’s confirmation came during participating virtually in the High-level Pledging Event to Support the Humanitarian Response in Sudan and the Region 2023.
The event was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Germany, the United Nations, represented by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as well as the European Union, in addition to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The foreign minister said that the Sudanese people are looking forward to the pledges that will result from this event. He added that the people aspire to be presented the pledged amount soon, to help and support them in facing the humanitarian challenges and the harsh conditions in which they live, especially with the exacerbation of suffering due to the crisis in the country.
Prince Faisal renewed the Kingdom’s keenness on standing alongside the Sudanese people, and to continue its quest toward finding a political solution for the crisis. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia hosted the conflicting Sudanese parties in Jeddah last May, within a Saudi-US initiative to urge the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to reduce the level of escalation in Sudan.
The Kingdom, in cooperation with the US, has succeeded in reaching an agreement between the two conflicting parties in the “Jeddah Declaration”, which was followed by multiple humanitarian truces, the latest of which was announced two days ago.
Based on Saudi Arabia’s principles in supporting and helping friendly countries, it has provided Sudan, since the start of the conflict, humanitarian aid worth $100 million, via the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief).
The Kingdom has operated an air bridge, which reached so far to 13 planes, in addition to operating a sea bridge that so far has reached 2 ships carrying food and health materials, shelter and other needs on board.
Saudi Arabia has also launched a popular campaign through the Sahim platform of KSrelief. Prince Faisal said that since the beginning of the Sudanese crisis, Saudi Arabia had initiated the implementation of the first sea evacuation of citizens and nationals of several countries who were stranded in Sudan. This initiative has contributed in rescuing 8,455 people from 110 countries.
He also praised the distinguished cooperation between the Kingdom’s agencies concerned with aid, United Nations organizations and other international institutions specialized in providing aid, which contributes to alleviating the suffering of the affected Sudanese refugees.
Saudi Arabia has contributed in establishing a humanitarian zone for the World Food Program (WFP) in Jeddah to be a center for storing and sending humanitarian assistance to Sudan and the neighboring countries affected by the crisis. This is in addition to facilitating the service operations of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), managed by the WFP, the foreign minister noted.
Prince Faisal stressed the importance of restoring the course of humanitarian work, protecting the civilians and workers in the humanitarian field, as well as ensuring the safety of humanitarian corridors to guarantee the arrival of basic aid. He also called on in this regard to strengthen the efforts to urge everyone to provide the necessary support to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.
The Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has since April 15 been battling paramilitary forces commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, after the two fell out in a bitter power struggle.
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