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03/29/2024 09:45:10 am

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China Pledges $10M Financial Assistance to South Sudan

South Sudan, China

(Photo : Getty Images) South Sudan president Salva Kiir (C L) and Chinese president Hu Jintao (C R) attend a signing ceremony at Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.

China has vowed to give $10 million to provide for humanitarian needs in South Sudan, Xinhua reported.

The financial aid will be used to purchase food and non-food items to immediately save thousands of human lives critically in need of humanitarian assistance, Ma Qiang, China's ambassador to South Sudan, told Xinhua.

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According to Ma, the immediate needs of the people displaced by war in the country include rice, shelters, medicines against maternal diseases and cholera and other medical equipment.

"I am going to meet the minister of humanitarian affairs to discuss other items that are urgently needed so that we can immediately provide to rescue those in dire need of assistance," Ma said.

Earlier this month, South Sudan also sought a $1.9 billion loan from China to be allocated for oil fields, and infrastructure development projects. The country plans to relaunch key oil fields in Unity State that were closed down during the civil war. Oil is the main source of South Sudan's revenue. It also proposed to allocate nearly $700 million to rebuild roads between Juba and Wau.

The initiatives come after the war-torn African country was aggravated by renewed fighting between supporters of President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar. South Sudan is struggling to pay its civil servants, and its economy has been put under stress due to the drop in global oil price and the ongoing war.

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