Andrew Mitchell, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Development and Africa on Wednesday announced 143 million pounds in humanitarian support to East Africa.

He made the announcement in a recorded message at the UN Horn of Africa pledging conference co-hosted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UK, Qatar, Italy and the United States.

The event was organised to support the humanitarian response in the Horn of Africa and secure scaled-up resources to address the unprecedented needs in the region this year and beyond.

Mr Mitchell said 96 million pounds of the pledged 143 million pounds would go to the drought-impacted countries of the Horn of Africa.

According to him, the funding will help millions but will still not break the cycle of crisis affecting many states.

He noted that without effective governance, there could be no truly sustainable development.

“Concerted international efforts narrowly averted famine in 2022, but we can be anything but complacent. A clear and present threat remains and we must act now to prevent further terrible suffering.

“We know that our humanitarian response needs to work alongside conflict prevention, resolution efforts and climate adaptation to build resilience for the long term.

“Our funding could not come at a more critical moment, and it is clear that we must act now, and do all we can to save lives,” he said

Mr Mitchell added that the conflict in Sudan represented a humanitarian catastrophe and had the potential to cascade further hardship across an already vulnerable region.

He called on all parties in Sudan to agree to a lasting ceasefire, ensure safe access for humanitarian workers and their return to the political track, and deliver a civilian government.

(NAN)