Deteriorating situation in Sudan can cause humanitarian disaster, impact neighboring states: Egypt

CAIRO – 19 June 2023: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has warned of a humanitarian disaster that may be caused by the deteriorating security, economic and humanitarian situations in Sudan.

The Sudanese people as well as people of the neighboring countries will pay the price of that disaster, Shoukry said as he delivered a speech at the High-level Pledging Event to Support the Humanitarian Response in Sudan and the Region held virtually.

The event is organized by Egypt in cooperation with the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Germany, the African Union and the European Union.

The deteriorating situations in Sudan have displaced more than 1.5 million Sudanese people and caused 350,000 others to flee the country to the neighboring states in search for a safe haven.

This places more pressure on these states than that they can bear, Shoukry stressed.

As a neighboring country to Sudan, Egypt has been keen since the beginning of the conflict to open its borders for those fleeing the conflict, Shoukry said.

He added that the Egyptian authorities have exerted strenuous efforts to facilitate the crossing of those fleeing the conflict, provide them with humanitarian aid and meet their food, health and psychological needs.

Egypt has received over 250,000 Sudanese people, representing 60 percent of those who fled the conflict, Shoukry said. This is in addition to 5 million Sudanese people that Egypt has hosting since before the conflict for long decades.

Egypt has provided huge resources to ensure the continuous operation of border crossings to receive the unprecedented numbers of people fleeing the conflict and provide them with urgent medical, nutritional and psychological services and assistance, Shoukry said.

Egypt has also provided about 300 tons of urgent medical and food aid to the Sudanese people and facilitated the evacuation of about 10,000 foreigners from Sudan, who were part of the diplomatic missions and international organizations, the foreign minister added.

Egypt has been keen to provide the Sudanese people fleeing the conflict with basic health and education services, Shoukry noted.

Shoukry urged the international community to implement its commitments toward Sudan and provide urgent relief assistance to the Sudanese people.

He also affirmed the need for the international community to implement development projects to support the steadfastness of host communities in neighboring countries, achieve peaceful coexistence and societal harmony in these countries and protect communities from harm.

Shoukry also shed light on the Egyptian-Qatari initiative launched under the auspices of the two countries’ leaderships to ensure providing support to the Sudanese people.

Earlier this month, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced launching a joint initiative to provide support to the Sudanese people.

The initiative’s main objective is to deliver humanitarian relief to the Sudanese people to alleviate the impacts of the ongoing crisis in the country, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

Egypt and Qatar will work jointly under the initiative to develop frameworks and mechanisms for the implementation of the initiative, the Presidency added.