Oxfam and Christian Aid will receive funds from the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) to assist displaced people and their host communities in South Sudan and Ethiopia with food and essentials.

International Development Minister Kaukab Stewart has pledged £250,000 in Scottish Government funding for charities responding to the ongoing conflict in Sudan and the impact on refugees in neighbouring countries.

Since the onset of the war in neighbouring Sudan last year, South Sudan has witnessed an influx of over half a million people.

There are more than 930,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Ethiopia, over 385,000 are South Sudanese living in the Gambella region and facing challenges in meeting basic needs, leading to increasing cases of malnutrition and diarrhoea.

Head of Christian Aid Scotland Val Brown said: “South Sudan is dealing with multiple shocks including acute food insecurity and one of the world’s largest displacement crises. In addition, many people have arrived in the country from neighbouring Sudan, fleeing the conflict that started last April.

“We’re grateful for funding from the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund which will enable to us to reach 4000 people in the Wedweil Refugee Camp, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, so people can purchase food and essentials. There will also be additional cash assistance for 400 vulnerable women and girls to support their recovery and empowerment.”

The Humanitarian Emergency Fund provides aid in the aftermath of a crisis.

The HEF panel is made up of eight leading humanitarian aid organisations in Scotland who advise and access the fund: Mercy Corps, Oxfam, British Red Cross, Islamic Relief, SCIAF, Christian Aid, Tearfund and Save the Children.