To help tackle the humanitarian impact of crisis in South Sudan, the European Union (EU) and UN today announced that more than $275 million had been pledged to support victims in the country and wider region.

The pledges were made during a high-level conference in Geneva, organized by the EU and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the humanitarian situation in the country.

According to OCHA, more than two million people have been internally displaced, more than half a million have fled to neighbouring countries and more than 17,000 children have crossed borders, becoming separated from their families. An estimated 4.6 million people are facing severe food insecurity and the start of the rainy season is increasing the risk of water-borne diseases and malaria.

Speaking ahead of the Geneva event, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien said fighting had intensified over the past month, forcing civilians to flee for their lives and resulting in razed villages, destroyed health facilities, stolen livestock, food taken and burned.

“We must fund the aid effort adequately and enable humanitarian workers to provide basic services – food, water, shelter and healthcare – to people in the most difficult-to-reach locations,” said Mr. O’Brien, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. “It is vital to send a message of solidarity and hope to South Sudan.”

“We now have more new South Sudanese refugees than when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed after decades of civil war,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.

Mr. O’Brien noted that neighbouring countries were severely impacted by this massive outflow and humanitarian agencies lacked the resources to address the enormous and growing needs.