KHARTOUM — The United States of America announced here Tuesday a package of assistance measures for Sudan in the areas of health, elections, rural development, and ways to help carrying out Thamarat program, designed to assist the poor to fight inflation in the country.

During a press conference in capital, Khartoum, the Executive Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power said that, as part of the assistance, the US administration was sending an aircraft carrying quantities of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines to help health authorities combat the pandemic.

She said that a plane carrying 600,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine would arrive in Khartoum within the next two days, in implementation of directives of US President Joe Biden to contribute to the fight against the pandemic around the world.

Samantha announced that the US aid would also contribute an amount of $56 million, in support of rural areas in Sudan to provide basic services there.

The US official added that USAID is also announcing its contribution of $4.3 million to the establishment and creation of a commission working on the preparation and implementation of a post-transitional period elections in Sudan.

“We will continue as well, as we long have, to attend to Sudan’s urgent humanitarian needs. Since 2003, the US has actually spent over $6 billion in humanitarian aid for the people of Sudan,” Power said.

“Today, I’m announcing an additional $56 million dollars of life-saving assistance to help people throughout Sudan’s periphery with emergency healthcare and nutrition; water, sanitation, and hygiene programs; and funds to seek to protect the country's most marginalized populations. We are also helping Sudan weather the COVID-19 pandemic,” she added.

In addition to providing critical funding to the country's response to COVID-19, the US is fulfilling President Biden’s promise to serve as an “arsenal of vaccines” to the world.

“In two days, I’m pleased to say, a plane will land here in Khartoum with over 600,000 doses of US-provided Johnson & Johnson vaccines. And we know this meets you at an hour of great need, and more support will be forthcoming.

“We are also investing in Sudan’s Family Support Program, to make sure that cuts to subsidies do not fall unduly on those who are least able to afford them. USAID has already invested $20 million to help launch the program, which is getting going and spreading every day around the country, and enrolling new beneficiaries, so that cash transfers can quickly reach the population as needs are identified and needs grow.

“Already, over 1.3 million families have enrolled in the program, and we will continue to invest and support efforts to direct payments toward women and those most in need.

But I believe that the United States must be ambitious to meet this moment. We want to provide more than emergency food assistance and vaccines.” — Agencies