In response to the UK Government’s announcement to give an
additional £200 million in aid to help prevent famine in South
Sudan and Somalia, Oxfam’s Chief Executive, Mark Goldring,
said:
“We welcome this additional funding which will certainly make a
difference to the dire humanitarian crises in South Sudan and
Somalia.
“In South Sudan half country is expected to be affected by
extreme hunger by July. Millions of people have been pushed to
the brink and desperately need help. In Somalia, over six million
people are in need of emergency food aid and the country is only
weeks away from famine.
“Others must now follow the UK’s lead and provide more funding,
to help prevent these crises from turning into
catastrophes.
“We believe that Yemen and Nigeria are also on the brink of
famine. In all four countries, we need urgent action to increase
emergency funding and ensure greater access for humanitarian
agencies so we can get help to all those that desperately need
it."
Notes to editors:
Oxfam’s response
In South Sudan we are currently helping 425,000 people
with humanitarian assistance.
An assessment mission has been in Somalia and Oxfam is
planning to launch a humanitarian response as soon as
possible.
In Yemen we are helping over 1 million people.
In Nigeria we have helped nearly 140,000 and are
opening up new areas of work to reach more displaced people.
