Donors pledge $2 billion in humanitarian aid for Sudan after a year of civil war

Donors pledged more than $2 billion in aid for Sudan on Monday at a conference in Paris on the first anniversary of the outbreak of a civil war that has killed thousands of civilians.

Efforts to help millions of people driven to the verge of famine by the war have been held up by continued fighting between the regular Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Pledges of aid on Monday came from the EU with $350 million; conference co-hosts France with $110 million and Germany with $250 million, $147 million from the US, and $110 from the UK.

“I hope the money raised today is translated into aid that reaches people in need,” said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, head of the Saudi aid agency KSRelief.

French President Emmanuel Macron said there was a need to coordinate overlapping and, so far, unsuccessful international efforts to resolve the conflict and to stop foreign support for the warring parties. “Unfortunately, the amount that we mobilized today is still probably less than was mobilized by several powers since the start of the war to help one or the other side kill each other,” he said.

The war has crippled infrastructure, displaced more than 8.5 million people, and cut many off from food supplies and basic services. “We can manage together to avoid a terrible famine catastrophe, but only if we get active together now,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. The UN is seeking $2.7 billion this year for aid inside Sudan, where 25 million people need assistance.