South Africa sends aid to Sudan
Luyanda Makapela
22 August 2008
South Africa is to send humanitarian assistance to the Abyei region of Sudan, in the form of 40 tons of non-perishable items including tents, blankets, mosquito nets, inflatable mattresses, food and clothes.
The humanitarian assistance, which Sudan will receive on Friday, is a joint initiative between the South African government and the Gift of the Givers Foundation.
The initiative was a response to international calls for humanitarian assistance to help the people of Abvei following violence in the area in May 2008, which caused over 50 000 civilians to be displaced.
"South Africa expresses the hope that the humanitarian assistance to Abyei will help contribute to the alleviation of the conditions under which these people find themselves in at this stage," the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
South Africa is the chair of the African Union Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Committee on Sudan and supports post conflict reconstruction and development in that country, the department said.
In July, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called on the international community to help the government of Sudan to find an amicable solution to the Darfur crisis, while also cautioning that any isolationist policy against the sitting government of Sudan would be counter-productive.
Kibaki noted that Sudanese President Omah Al-Bashir should be assisted by the international bodies that were keen on seeking a lasting solution to the Darfur conflict and not to be subjected to legal recourse in courts that might not have an understanding of the conflict.
Source: BuaNews
