The CHF5 million ($5.44 million) will help to tackle a difficult humanitarian situation which has led to more than 5.3 million people fleeing their homes.
Following clashes in Sudan which began on April 15, the already precarious humanitarian situation has further deteriorated, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Fighting has spread from capital city Khartoum to other regions.
Those who fled to neighbouring countries mainly went to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.
The additional CHF5 million made available by Switzerland must be used to respond to the massive increase in humanitarian needs in Sudan and in the neighbouring countries concerned, the ministry said.
This budget will particularly enable the financing of up to CHF500,000 for the activities of the Norwegian Refugee Council NGO in Sudan. In addition, CHF1 million will go to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to finance projects by local and international NGOs as well as UN organisations.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will each benefit from CHF1 million for their projects in South Sudan.
In Chad, Switzerland is contributing CHF1.5 million to activities carried out by various UN organisations.
In total, Switzerland’s 2023 financial contribution to tackling the crisis in Sudan and the neighbouring countries currently amounts to more than CHF45 million.