Donors raise more than $2B for Sudan aid a year into war

PARIS/CAIRO – Donors pledged more than $2 billion for war-torn Sudan at a conference in Paris on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said, on the first anniversary of what aid workers describe as a neglected but devastating conflict.

Efforts to help millions of people driven to the verge of famine by the war have been held up by continued fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, restrictions imposed by the warring sides, and demands on donors from other global crises including in Gaza and Ukraine.

Conflict in Sudan is threatening to expand, with fighting heating up in and around al-Fashir, a besieged aid hub and the last city in the western Darfur region not taken over by the RSF. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge in the area.

In Paris, the EU pledged 350 million euros, while France and Germany, the co-sponsors, committed 110 million euros and 244 million euros respectively. The United States pledged $147 million and Britain $110 million.

Speaking at the end of the conference, which included Sudanese civilian actors, Macron emphasized the 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

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and neighboring countries, a year after war broke out between Sudan’s army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. than was mobilized by several powers since the start of the war to help one or the other side kill each other,” he said.

As regional powers compete for influence in Sudan, U.N. experts say allegations that the United Arab Emirates helped arm the RSF are credible, while sources say the army has received weapons from Iran. Both sides have rejected the reports.

The war, which broke out between the Sudanese army and the RSF as they vied for power ahead of a planned transition, has crippled infrastructure, displaced more than 8.5 million people, and cut many off from food supplies and basic services.