By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - The EU has provided an additional $1.1 million in funding for Sudan to help people fleeing from the massacres carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the European Commission said Tuesday.
"Now, as people attempt to flee the ongoing brutality sweeping through El Fasher, the EU is allocating another €1 million ($1.1 million) in humanitarian aid," the Commission said in a statement, noting a surge in humanitarian needs after the North Darfur capital fell to the RSF.
The new funding adds to more than €272 million ($314 million) the EU has provided this year to assist people affected by the conflict in Sudan and Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries.
"When it comes to Sudan, I am at a loss for words to describe the sheer scale of this humanitarian catastrophe," said Hadja Lahbib, the bloc's commissioner for preparedness, crisis management and equality.
She cited reports of mass atrocities by the RSF, including ethnically motivated killings and widespread sexual violence.
“With his new allocation, the EU will support the immediate scale-up of emergency response across North Darfur, including in the locality of Tawila, which already hosts more displaced people than any other location in Sudan,” the statement said.
The funding will prioritize water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as emergency shelter for people fleeing El-Fasher, it added.