Sudan hosts 5m Africans, minister

Sudan currently hosts five million Africans, including two million refugees and three million workers, Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported today quoting a statement by the Sudanese Minister of International Cooperation.

Speaking at meeting held at the Sudanese capital of Khartoum between the ministry and the organisations working in the field of European aid, Idris Suleiman stressed the importance of the international community’s support for Sudan in the face of the African refugee crisis.

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The minister added that Sudan has been accommodating thousands of refugees on behalf of the international community, calling for the development of a partnership with donor countries, including the European Union (EU) and the national and international civil society organisations.

European financial support to Sudan amounted to $340 million in 2016. The grant was allocated to fund the education, health and water sectors.

Over the last six years, Sudan has witnessed a major wave of inbound refugees, at a time when inhabitants in the south were being displaced as a result of the Darfur conflict and the tough humanitarian situation in the area.

The African country has been suffering a sharp reduction in foreign grants and aid over the past two decades due to the US economic sanctions on Khartoum which were imposed in 1997 over the government’s alleged support for terrorism. The embargo was lifted last January.