The World Food Programme (WFP) says it has launched an emergency cash assistance programme to support vulnerable people fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

Development Diaries reports that the WFP pre-established cash delivery platform will also be made available to sister UN agencies to enable them to quickly extend their assistance to vulnerable people arriving in Egypt from Sudan.

The United Nations (UN) agency, in a statement, noted that together with partner agencies, they have conducted a rapid assessment to identify the most vulnerable arrivals needing assistance.

‘Assistance provided to identified people will allow them to access basic food and other essential needs’, the statement read.

WFP noted that it will support the most vulnerable families who have crossed into Egypt with nothing or have run out of money after a long and perilous journey.

WFP Country Director in Egypt, Praveen Agrawal, said, ‘They are drained by the journey that they and their families had to take to reach safety and are extremely food insecure.

‘At this time of great uncertainty, cash assistance helps secure their most basic needs’.

‘WFP will avail its cash delivery platform to sister UN Agencies like the UN’s children fund (UNICEF) and other development partners enabling them to quickly reach vulnerable families in need of support’.

Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that newly arrived refugees, asylum-seekers, and returnees reached 218,504 as of 14 May.

It also revealed that as of 13 May, 83,758 Sudanese had fled to Egypt for refugee support.

Egypt, it is understood, had already been hosting over 60,000 Sudanese refugees.

The fighting in Sudan started a month ago, resulting in the killing of hundreds of people, sending more than 200,000 into neighbouring states, and displacing another 700,000 inside the country.

Photo source: Khaled Desouki/AFP