U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged the United States and its allies to help South Sudan’s struggling government with humanitarian aid and to take advantage of the country’s low cost of living.
The United States, which has a long history of aiding humanitarian groups, is stepping up its involvement in humanitarian operations in South Sudan as the country grapples with a devastating civil war that has left more than 7 million people in need of help.
Guterres said U.K.-based Aid to the Nations has been monitoring South Sudan for years and has documented the government’s efforts to help people.
It has seen no sign of that, he said.
Gutierrez said he believes South Sudan is now in a much better position to handle the crisis and to build a better future for the people of the war-torn country.
But he warned that without a plan for how to rebuild its own economy, the government is unlikely to get the help it needs.
The U.T.O., which provides aid to thousands of countries, said it will send more humanitarian supplies to South Africa and other countries in the region to help support its recovery from the conflict.
The group has previously provided aid to Ethiopia and Eritrea in their efforts to rebuild after a devastating famine in their countries in 2011-2012.
It is also providing humanitarian aid in Liberia, where the U.F.O. is based.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has received more than 1.3 million applications for aid, of which 1,542,000 have been received.