Juba, Sep 28 (IANS): The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group said it has approved a grant of $19.8 million to help South Sudan respond to the Sudanese refugee crisis in the country.

The AfDB said that the Sudan Refugee Crisis Response project aims to build peace, inclusion and resilience in South Sudanese communities.

"The project aims to support the inclusive and peaceful integration of refugees and returnees into communities, to strengthen social cohesion among refugees and host communities, and improve the socioeconomic well-being of these communities," AfDB said in a statement issued on Friday.

The project would be executed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which will contribute a further $2.43 million, bringing the total cost of the project to $22.23 million.

AfDB said the project, which will be implemented between November 2024 and October 2026, will target host communities, refugees, and South Sudanese residing in Sudan but fleeing conflict in their home areas, Xinhua news agency reported.

"By deploying not only a humanitarian and a development-oriented intervention in key refugee and host communities, the project will help prevent a worsening of poverty levels among refugees and returnees, as well as in host communities," said Themba Bhebhe, country manager of AfDB's Country Office in South Sudan.

The lender said the project directly targets 26,180 households, and it is estimated that 160,375 people will indirectly benefit from the project's various interventions.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has forced more than 800,000 people into neighbouring South Sudan since April 2023, said Albino Akol Atak, South Sudan minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, on August 14.

The large influx of forcibly displaced people in Sudan poses a threat to resources and a security risk, while the economic and humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, according to AfDB.