RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister, Waleed Elkhereiji, said his country would provide $145 million to help support humanitarian projects in Sudan this year.
Speaking in Berlin on Wednesday at the third international aid conference for the African nation, he said the Kingdom has provided Sudan, a member of the Arab League, with $3 billion in assistance since the civil war began in April 2023, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
At least 33.7 million people in the country require humanitarian aid, and 14 million have been displaced from their homes, according to Doctors Without Borders. While there are no official casualty figures available, some estimates suggest more than 150,000 people have been killed, including about 2,000 in attacks on healthcare facilities.
Elkhereiji said the Kingdom’s priority is to help Sudan achieve stability, preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintain unity, reach an immediate ceasefire agreement, and prevent the state from collapsing.
“The crisis requires a Sudanese-Sudanese political process that strengthens national institutions and respects the sovereignty of Sudan,” he added.
He called for an immediate ceasefire agreement followed by a clear political process to end the conflict, which entered its fourth year this week.
“The Kingdom continues its efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, based on the Jeddah announcement on May 11, 2023, and is working to bring the views of the Sudanese parties closer together and facilitate a return to the path of political dialogue effectively,” Elkhereiji added.
