The Saudi aid agency KSrelief and the British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office on Tuesday signed a joint $9.16 million agreement to support Sudan.
The two sides will each contribute $4.58 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to support the regional emergency response to the humanitarian crisis in the country.
The funding aims to provide support for health, protection, and food security — while achieving the common goal of an effective humanitarian response — and alleviate the urgent humanitarian needs of those affected in Sudan.
The agreement was signed virtually by Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the royal court adviser and head of KSrelief, and Andrew Mitchell, the British minister of state for development and African affairs, in response to the humanitarian appeal of the ICRC in Sudan.
Al-Rabeeah said: “The assistance provided by the Kingdom through the center reaffirms the keenness of the government, King Salman, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to stand by the brotherly Sudanese people. It also aims to mitigate the effects of the difficult crisis that Sudan is currently witnessing.”
Mitchell said that the joint project confirmed the depth of the partnership between the two countries in the humanitarian field, which helped alleviate human suffering in several countries.
The President of the ICRC Mirjana Spoljaric Egger said that the funding would help the organization to provide a neutral and impartial response to the victims of the crisis, which would allow the committee’s teams to respond quickly and effectively to the changing needs of the population.
She indicated that the donation had come at the appropriate time as the ICRC and many other humanitarian actors faced a restrictive financial environment amid growing humanitarian needs worldwide.
The agreement comes within the framework of the humanitarian and relief projects provided by the Kingdom through KSrelief, in cooperation with international agencies, to help reduce the suffering of the Sudanese people.