REFUGEE CRISIS IN SOUTH SUDAN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Refugee Crisis in South Sudan
Press Statement Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
June 6, 2012

The United States is concerned about the dire situation faced by the growing Sudanese refugee population in South Sudan.　 We remain deeply committed to meeting the humanitarian needs of the people of South Sudan, and urge the international community to join us in our efforts to relieve suffering and assist those affected by the on-going violence.

The United States and its partners are already responding to this crisis, but the needs are great and in danger of outstripping the humanitarian community’s ability to respond.　 There are now more than 150,000 Sudanese refugees in South Sudan, primarily fleeing from Sudan’s Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states.　 Access to sufficient water for the expanding refugee population in Upper Nile remains a significant issue.　 Humanitarian agencies are also struggling to improve and maintain access roads that will allow sufficient assistance to reach the growing refugee settlements and surrounding host communities.

The United States government has already stepped up to help prevent further suffering by providing more than $34 million to support the emergency response to new Sudanese refugees in the region.　 We are concerned, though, that humanitarian agencies are still facing a shortage of the resources required to protect and assist the growing refugee population.　 An even greater emergency could be on the horizon as the rainy season threatens to severely curtail access to refugee-hosting areas.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has appealed to the international community for $145 million to help prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.　 The United States has already met 23% of this request, but 70% remains unfunded.　 We call on all international partners to help us meet UNHCR’s urgent request to help the refugees in South Sudan. We also urge all donors, as well as private companies that may have critically-needed equipment in the refugee-hosting areas of South Sudan, to provide additional support to the humanitarian response.

FACT SHEET: HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO SYRIA

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Additional Humanitarian Assistance to Syria

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

May 10, 2012

The United States is pursuing every avenue to get humanitarian relief to those affected by the violence in Syria and is engaged in focused diplomatic efforts to secure full and unfettered access for humanitarian organizations to reach those in need. To help meet the growing humanitarian need, the United States is providing an additional $6.5 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Syria, bringing the total amount of U.S. emergency aid being provided to date to nearly $40 million for this crisis. Our assistance is providing food, clean water, basic health care, and medical and other emergency relief supplies to help those in need in Syria and in neighboring countries. To date, the United States has provided:

• $16.5 million to the World Food Program (WFP);
• $8.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
• $7.8 million to non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
• $3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA);
• $3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and
• $500,000 to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

We recognize the generosity of the Governments of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq, who have kept their borders open and are hosting and providing assistance to those fleeing the violence in Syria. We commend the efforts of the United Nations, and the international organizations and non-governmental organizations to ease the trauma that the conflict in Syria has inflicted on those fleeing the violence.

U.S. CONCERNED WITH HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY IN HORN OF AFRICA

FROM U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Increase in U.S. Funding to Drought Relief in the Horn of Africa
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
April 5, 2012
The United States continues to be deeply concerned by the humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa, and particularly the hard-hit Somali population. Despite the end of famine conditions in February, nearly 10 million people in the region still require humanitarian assistance. For this reason, the United States Government is providing an additional nearly $50 million in aid for refugees and drought-affected communities in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya in addition to what we have already provided. As Secretary Clinton announced April 3rd, since early in 2011 "the United States has provided almost $1 billion in humanitarian assistance that has saved countless lives from malnutrition, starvation, and disease. And our sustained commitment has demonstrated the best of America, helping to undermine the extremist narrative of terrorist groups like al-Shabaab in Somalia."

The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) stated April 3, 2012 that the March-May rains in the eastern Horn of Africa will not be adequate. Poor rains would likely negatively affect food security in a region still recovering from a devastating drought and famine in 2011. The United States remains committed to breaking the cycle of hunger and famine in the Horn of Africa and to this end will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need and call on others to join it in supporting the UN's $1.5 billion 2012 Consolidated Appeal for Somalia. This appeal is currently funded at only $179 million. We encourage all donors to take additional steps to tackle both immediate assistance needs and strengthen capacity in the region to mitigate future crises.

In addition to our emergency assistance, the United States is leading efforts to address the root causes of hunger and food insecurity by improving agricultural systems in the Horn of Africa under the Feed the Future initiative. As part of these efforts, yesterday in Nairobi, Kenya USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah participated in a high-level forum on strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities to drought in the Horn of Africa. The forum brings together African and international development leaders who are committed to working together in new ways to prevent future humanitarian crises related to drought.