South Sudan to benefit from UK £17 million support package
South Sudan is among the East African countries that will benefit from the £17 million support package from the United Kingdom for those affected by floods and drought.
The funding, which is equivalent to $23 million, is meant for South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford, announced Monday.
In a press release by the British Embassy in Juba, seen by The City Review, Vicky said the support would provide vital assistance to almost a million people in South Sudan affected by the flood and those affected by drought in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
The diplomat said this while in Kenya on a three-day visit to East Africa.
“Extreme weather events associated with climate change are worsening pre-existing drought and flood cycles and ruining harvests.
“Poor governance and ongoing conflicts in Somalia, South Sudan, and Ethiopia are exacerbating the impact of these events by displacing vulnerable communities, destroying livelihoods and limiting access to humanitarian assistance, ” Vicky Ford said.
She said climate change is not a future problem for the East African countries because the international countries would provide support to curb the negative changes that might come as a result of climate change, which may affect the lives of the people.
The diplomat said catastrophic floods and drought, together with the ongoing conflict and poor governance in South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia, are creating what she terms a “perfect storm” in East African countries. She lamented that the problem risks pushing hundreds of people into famine.
“The UK’s commitment to supporting our partners in East Africa is unwavering, and we know that early action now can prevent mass loss of life. This funding package helps those affected to access clean water and healthy food,” she said.
Saddening statistics
According to a United Kingdom study in Somalia, approximately half the population requires life-saving aid due to the ongoing drought. A drought on a similar scale in 2011 led to 260,000 deaths. In Kenya, the number of people in dire need of food has risen to almost 3 million.
More than 6.4 million people are estimated to be in need of food assistance in drought-affected regions of Ethiopia this year. In South Sudan, extreme flooding paired with ongoing violence has affected more than 835,000 people, including by pushing more than 350,000 people from their homes.
The funding is expected to support almost 500,000 people in Somalia to access clean water and afford food supplies, as well as provide 100,000 people in South Sudan and 26,000 children in Kenya with a combination of food assistance, water and hygiene supplies.
The UK prioritised supporting communities affected by extreme weather events such as droughts as the host of COP26 in Glasgow. As part of the historic agreement reached during the summit, wealthy nations committed to doubling the overall climate finance available for adaptation programs.
The UK also announced what they called a “Room to Run” guarantee, with the African Development Bank (AfDB) expecting to release up to US$1 billion for new financial projects which will help countries adapt to the impact of climate change.
According to UK officials, the UK is a long-standing supporter of Africa’s adaptation to climate change, with around half of the UK’s £2.7 billion adaptation budget between 2016 and 2020 spent in Africa.
The British Embassy in Juba said South Sudan is facing an unprecedented third year of major flooding which has affected over 800,000 people, many of whom remain at risk due to food insecurity or a lack of decent water and sanitation.
It said in Bentiu alone, over 100,000 displaced people are living in extremely difficult conditions and are highly vulnerable to disease.
The embassy said the announcement of an additional £3 million on Monday for flood response means that the UK will be able to work alongside partners such as WFP and IOM to respond to some of these immediate needs for over 60,000 people in Bentiu in the areas of clean drinking water and sanitation.
