Khartoum, Feb 1 : The UNHCR, together with 41 international and national partners, has called for raising $556 million in funding to help the refugees living in Sudan. In a statement, the UNHCR on Tuesday said its 2023 inter-agency funding appeal aims to raise money to provide much-needed assistance to more than 900,000 refugees in Sudan, Xinhua news agency reported. "The refugee response plan, co-developed with all partners, including the Sudan Commission for Refugees, places critical protection and life-saving assistance for refugee communities in Sudan," said Axel Bisschop, the UNHCR representative in Sudan. "With the recognition of the global humanitarian environment and multiple crises we face, we encourage the international community to support the newly launched refugee response plan for Sudan," Bisschop added. The statement said that Sudan is the second largest asylum country in Africa, hosting about 1.1 million refugees and asylum-seekers. /IANS