China donates rice to help South Sudan's humanitarian response

JUBA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Thursday received nearly 2,400 metric tons of rice from the Chinese government to help respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in neighboring Sudan.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Albino Akol Atak said the food assistance arrived at a critical time when they are struggling to pool resources to respond to the influx of thousands of people fleeing conflict across the border with Sudan.

"In this year alone, we have a great number of people in South Sudan that are in need. We have 9.4 million people who are in need of humanitarian assistance. The conflict in Sudan has increased this number with the influx of returnees which has added another burden," Akol said during the handover ceremony in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang said part of the rice donated by the Chinese government will be distributed to these returnees to help meet their urgent needs.

South Sudan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change, Ma said, adding that China has provided emergency food assistance to South Sudan for many years, benefiting more than one million people.

Manase Lomole Waya, chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, said prior to the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, they were already dealing with a humanitarian crisis largely caused by successive devastating floods since 2019. He appealed to international donors to support South Sudan.