By Ingy Ashraf,
The United States urged Sudanese authorities on Wednesday to allow aid into the nation, blaming delays as the fighting between rival generals leaves millions in need of assistance.
Samantha Power, head of the United States Agency for International Development, stated that financing for Sudan’s crisis “remains shockingly low,” with an estimated 25 million people, or more than half of the population, in need of assistance.
However, she stated that even when aid arrives, it is hampered by “ill-disciplined or rapacious” forces on the ground, as well as bureaucracy that has “mastered through decades of practice at being obstructionist.”
During the US Institute of Peace she stated,
“Sudan continues to present some of the toughest conditions for humanitarian access in the entire world, and that is saying something,”
She said, “Unconscionably, supplies are actually there — stuck at the border or in the Port of Sudan as permits to move aid into the country continue to be denied”
She continued, “The fact that a permit could stand in the way of supplies reaching people with life-or-death needs and conditions is horrifying”.
Power stated that small-scale local and diaspora groups have filled the void, but conceded that USAID took “far too long” to route funding via them.
She said, “If these relief networks were to collapse, millions of Sudanese civilians would be left with no assistance at all. To prevent that from happening, these groups need more resources”.
In September, the United States announced $130 million in additional assistance to Sudan.
Violence erupted in April last year between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after they failed to reach an agreement on combining as part of the now stalled transition to democracy.
According to a conservative estimate from the Conflict Location and Event Data project, the war has killed at least 13,000 people and displaced more than seven million others, according to the United Nations.
The United States and Saudi Arabia conducted negotiations between the two parties, but they were ineffective, and Washington has increasingly relied on pressure to get them to cooperate.
The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it will ban any assets and criminalize US dealings with the Alkhaleej Bank, which has been a “essential part” of the RSF’s fundraising.
The bank allegedly received $50 million from the country’s central bank just before the war began.
Also targeted were the Zadna International Company for Development, which is alleged to be used for money laundering and army commercial operations, and Al-Fakher Advanced Works, which the Treasury Department claims has helped the RSF generate millions of dollars through gold exports, allowing the paramilitary group to purchase weapons.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “The United States will continue to use the tools at our disposal to end this devastating war, promote accountability and help the Sudanese people realize their demands for freedom, peace, and justice”
The United States has provided a reward of up to $5 million to the arrest Ahmed Harun, a former Sudanese official wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur.
