Countries pledge over $1bn to ease Sudan hunger crisis

An international conference to raise funding commitments for Sudan has produced pledges of more than 1.3 billion euros ($1.53 billion) in humanitarian aid, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said yesterday.

The brutal war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which enters its third year yesterday, has created what aid groups say is now the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Wadephul thanked donors for their pledges. “They help to alleviate the suffering of the people in Sudan, they help to save lives, and they show that this conflict has not been forgotten,” he said.

With development spending by established donors increasingly squeezed, the conference was aimed at throwing a spotlight back on Sudan. The global focus has recently been diverted towards the longer-running war in Ukraine and the conflict in Iran.

Away from the media spotlight, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes and widespread hunger has left large parts of the population relying on food assistance, while many state institutions are close to collapse.

“The Berlin conference is an important signal that Sudan is not being forgotten. Yet the sad tragedy is that an end to the war looks as far away as ever,” said Comfort Ero, the president and CEO of International Crisis Group.

Officials from more than 60 states and 50 Sudanese and international NGOs attended, but neither of the warring parties sent representatives in the absence of a ceasefire agreement.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reiterated the need for humanitarian support to relieve the immediate suffering in Sudan but said the fighting needed to end as quickly as possible.

Much attention will be devoted to ways of stopping the flow of arms, but the task facing the international community has been complicated by the ongoing fighting.

The Sudanese government yesterday called the conference plans a “surprising and unacceptable” interference in its internal affairs and warned that engaging with paramilitary groups would undermine state sovereignty.

For its part, the RSF-run parallel government also rejected the conference, saying political elements close to the army were included among the participants.

Germany overall is pledging a total of 232 million euros to Sudan and neighbouring countries hosting millions of Sudanese displaced by the war. -Reuters

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