UK announces £5mil aid for Sudan after ‘horrifying’ reports

UK foreign minister Yvette Cooper said £2 million will be used to support survivors of sexual violence. (EPA Images pic)
LONDON: The UK announced £5 million (US$6.57 million) of new funding for Sudan on Saturday after “truly horrifying” reports of atrocities committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the capture of El-Fasher.
At war with the army since April 2023, the RSF seized El-Fasher last Sunday, toppling the army’s last stronghold in the western Darfur region after an 18-month siege marked by bombardment and starvation.
“For too long, this terrible conflict has been neglected, while suffering has simply increased,” UK foreign minister Yvette Cooper said during a conference in Bahrain.
The emergency funding, which comes on top of £120 million the UK has pledged to Sudan over a year, will include £2 million to support survivors of sexual violence in El-Fasher.
“The reports from Darfur in recent days are truly horrifying,” said Cooper.
“Atrocities, mass executions, starvation and the devastating use of rape as a weapon of war, with women and children bearing the brunt of the largest humanitarian crisis in the 21st century.”
“UK diplomats continue to push all parties to cease hostilities to protect civilians to allow unhindered humanitarian access,” the foreign office said in a press release.