Geneva - In spite of Sudan's vast oil reserves, government
officials said Thursday it could not pay for the humanitarian aid its
citizens need and appealed for 2 billion dollars from the
international community.
The African state makes up the largest part of the United Nation's
Consolidated Appeals Process, which was launched the day before and
requires 7 billion dollars globally.
'We have already secured 620 million' for Sudan, most of it
donations of food, said Toby Lanzer, the UN's humanitarian
coordinator in the country's north.
The UN said it would seek half the money for food aid, with the
rest going to other emergency aid and recovery projects, such as
enabling access to clean water, agricultural investments and
education initiatives.
In 2005 the warring north and south of Sudan agreed to a peace
deal ending two decades of fighting and promising elections in the
next year. Much of the money for the southern section would go to
rebuilding and enabling the return of refugees.
Another conflict in the country's western Darfur region, an area
roughly the size of France, is still ongoing, with some 17,000 aid
workers offering assistance.
The UN said attacks on aid conveys were hampering efforts to help
communities in need, though the government said it was working to
ensure the safety of the humanitarians.
The plan for the upcoming year included better management of
natural resources, like water, especially as Sudan faces
desertification, the UN said, and 3 million trees would be planted,
though ten times that was needed to help the country get back on
track.
Haroun Lual, the Sudanese minister for humanitarian affairs, said
he expected the UN and African Union peacekeeping mission to Darfur
to be fully staffed by June.
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