An international conference on Sudan hosted by France on Monday (15 April), exactly a year after war broke out in the northeast African country, seeks attention and contributions from the International community, as millions of Sudanese face severe levels of hunger.
Paris says it aims to put the Sudan war back in the spotlight and raise funds from the international community as the crisis in the war-ravaged nation has been crowded out of the global conversation by ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Top diplomats from France, Germany, and the European Union will convene for talks in Paris to push for increased funding to tackle the humanitarian situation in Sudan. “The idea is to move this crisis up to the top of the agenda,” said Christophe Lemoine, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry. “We cannot let Sudan become a forgotten crisis,” he added.
In addition to tackling what the United Nations describes as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory,” officials said there were also political dangers, such as the possible break-up of Sudan into splinter states. “The civilians here are enduring starvation, mass sexual violence, large-scale ethnic killing, and executions,” said Will Carter, Sudan country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council. “Millions more are displaced, and yet the world continues to look the other way.” In a separate but related development, the United States on Sunday (14 April) announced an additional $100 million in aid for Sudan that will go towards emergency food assistance, nutrition support and other life-saving aid.
The conference, held on the first anniversary of Sudan’s civil war, features representatives from its neighbors, Gulf states, and western powers, all brought together to collect donations for an underfunded UN humanitarian aid appeal.