Emergency Grant Aid to South Sudan Refugees and IDPs

TOKYO, Japan, May 20, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- On May 20, the Government of Japan decided to extend Emergency Grand Aid of 12 million US dollars (approximately 1,164 million Japanese yen), through World Food Program (WFP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to support emergency response for internally displaced persons (IDPs) of South Sudan in the area of food, water and sanitation, health and medical care and for shelter for refugees who have fled to the neighboring countries.

Clashes that occurred in Juba last December as the results of political differences in the ruling party have spilled over and are now characterized by aspects of inter-communal conflict. Serious act of violence and large-scale violation of human rights are becoming more acute over South Sudan. So far, the number of IDPs and refugees for whom emergency assistance is required immediately has increased to nearly 1 million and more than two hundred thousand respectively.

The Government of Japan will announce this assistance at the Humanitarian Pledging Conference for South Sudan to be held today in Oslo, Norway.