The State of Qatar has been keen on supporting regional and international mediation efforts since the eruption of the Sudan crisis, based on its belief that resuming negotiations is the only way to end the war in Sudan.
This came in the State of Qatar’s statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah, during a meeting at the Palace of Nations to jointly launch the Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and Regional Refugee Response Plan for Sudan for 2024.
Appreciating the joint Saudi-US efforts through the Jeddah negotiations, Her Excellency called on the warring Sudanese parties to exercise a voice of reason and resume negotiations with the aim of reaching an agreement that ends the fighting and spares the Sudanese further suffering. Her Excellency stressed the necessity of full cooperation to facilitate the access of humanitarian aid to those affected, and the adherence to the principles and provisions of the international humanitarian law.
Her Excellency added that the Sudanese people had been suffering for 10 months from the repercussions of the relentless war and violent fighting that erupted in April 2023, and caused a catastrophic deterioration of the humanitarian, economic, social and security conditions across the country.
Her Excellency highlighted the severe infrastructure damage and collapse of many services, especially in education and health care systems, increasing numbers of people in need of relief assistance, and the displaced persons and refugees, the majority of whom are children and women.
She also underscored the food insecurity, which led the World Food Program to recently announce that the situation in Sudan is catastrophic and that about 18 million people across the country are currently facing acute hunger.
Her Excellency also stressed that the State of Qatar did not hesitate to fulfill its duties and humanitarian responsibility in providing various types of support and aid in order to alleviate the impact of the repercussions of the humanitarian crisis on the Sudanese people in these difficult times they are going through. Her Excellency noted that the State of Qatar co-sponsored the Sudan Pledging Conference 2023: a Ministerial Pledging Event to Support the Humanitarian Response in Sudan and the Region and pledged to provide USD 50 million to support the efforts of the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Sudan and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP).
The State of Qatar also operated an air bridge to support the brothers in Sudan and provided relief, food and medical aid of more than 370 tons, provided by the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) in partnership with Qatar Charity (QC) and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Her Excellency said, highlighting the QC-QFFD grant agreement of over USD 5 million to provide food baskets for families affected by war and displacement in Sudan and the QFFD efforts to supply kidney and cancer medications with over USD 1 million.
His Excellency also spotlighted two agreements signed by the QC and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support the humanitarian needs of over 30,000 Sudanese refugees in Egypt and Chad from Zakat funds to alleviate their humanitarian suffering. More than 1,784 Sudanese residents in the State of Qatar were evacuated from Sudan onboard Qatari relief planes, she added.
HE Al Muftah affirmed the State of Qatar’s firm position in supporting the unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan, and the rejection any form of interference in its internal affairs, as well as its keenness to enhance cooperation with the UN and various humanitarian agencies and organizations to enable it to address all the challenges and difficulties facing the implementation of its programs and humanitarian activities in Sudan.
Her Excellency called on the international community to redouble its efforts and provide further urgent support and adequate funding for the HRP for Sudan and the 3RP.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.