The trade and development minister, Mogens Jensen, visited South Sudan over the weekend to get a better picture of the humanitarian disaster that has taken hold of the east African nation.
The trip to the capital Juba – part of Jensen’s trip to east Africa this past week – resulted in Denmark increasing its aid to the hunger-stricken country by 60 million kroner.
“I spoke with people in a UN camp who had fled their homes,” Jensen said in a press release. “I met with UN and Danish aid organisations and the message was always the same. The situation is critical.”
“We need to act now so we are increasing our support to South Sudan’s suffering population by 60 million kroner.”
South Sudan is enduring a vicious civil war loaded with ethnic genocide, kidnappings and rapes. Over one million people have been displaced and the embattled nation has also been struck by a Cholera epidemic.
Millions starving
Jensen met with South Sudan’s foreign minister and called for his government to end the violence and respect the agreements with the rebels. Jensen spoke with the rebel leader Riek Machar and asked him to do the same.
“They must live up to the promise of a ceasefire and work towards a long-term political solution that will unify the nation and create peace,” Jensen said. “There is no military solution to this conflict.”
10 million kroner of the Danish aid will go to UNICEF’s efforts to feed an estimated 900,000 severely malnourished children in the nation, while the remaining 50 million is earmarked for Danish NGOs operating in South Sudan and Sudan.
