Europe pledges to raise billions for war-torn Sudan

DONORS will hopefully pledge “well over €1 billion euros,” (R20bn) for war-torn Sudan at an aid conference in Paris on the first anniversary of a devastating conflict, a diplomatic source said.

Efforts to help millions of people driven to the verge of famine by the war have been held up by continued fighting, restrictions imposed by the warring sides, and demands on donors from other global disasters.

“The series of crises – Gaza and Ukraine – have pushed the Sudanese crisis into the background”, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné told the Paris conference.

The EU will pledge €350million, while France will add €110 million, three sources said. The US will invest $147 million, they added. Germany pledged €244 million earlier yesterday.

“I hope (the funds raised) will be well over a billion euros,” the French diplomatic source said, without specifying where the rest of the money will come from. “We can avoid a terrible famine catastrophe, but only if we get active together now”, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. In the worst-case scenario, 1 million people could die of hunger this year, she said.

Last week, Sudan’s army-aligned foreign ministry protested at not being invited to the conference. “We must remind the organisers that the international guardianship system has been abolished for decades,” it said.

The army has said it would not allow aid into the wide swathes of the country controlled by its foes from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Aid agencies have accused the RSF of looting aid, something it denies.

The war in Sudan that broke out on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese army and the RSF has devastated infrastructure, prompted warnings of famine and displaced millions. The factions, partners in the toppling of president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019 and the overthrow of a government in 2021, competed to protect their interests. The UN has made a call for $2.7 billion for aid inside the country, where 25 million people need assistance.