An international conference on Sudan convened in Paris on Monday, marking the first anniversary of the war that has morphed into a “forgotten crisis” with catastrophic humanitarian consequences and significant geopolitical risks.
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné addressed the dire situation: “For a year now, Sudanese have been the victims of a terrible war that has brought nothing but chaos and suffering… They are also victims of oblivion and indifference,” reported by Agence France-Presse.
Séjourné emphasized, “The aim of our meetings today is to break the wall of silence surrounding this war and to push the international community to take action.”
Since the opening of the conference, chaired by France, Germany, the European Union, and other international stakeholders, over $840 million has been pledged, including $110 million from Paris, $244 million from Berlin, $350 million from Brussels, and $138 million from Washington.
German Minister Annalena Baerbock highlighted the conference’s timing, which coincides with global focus on the Middle East following Saturday’s Iranian attack on Israel.
Baerbock pointed out the necessity not to overlook the war in Sudan that has resulted in an indescribable humanitarian crisis. She spoke of the “unspeakable suffering” of the Sudanese people at the hands of “merciless generals” and their feeling of being abandoned by the world.
Baerbock also noted that various mediation efforts have been fruitless and called on the international community to “act in a coordinated manner to bring the warring parties to the negotiation table and to achieve a ceasefire.”
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said that it is only through “international pressure” that the warring parties can be brought to negotiate.
Yanez Lenarcic, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, pointed out the urgent need for action as Sudan “collapses,” mentioning the risk of destabilizing the entire Horn of Africa region as many Sudanese are displaced and seeking refuge.
Sudan’s Children at Risk of Starvation
According to Save the Children, 14 million children in Sudan need humanitarian assistance to survive.
The Paris meeting includes a political component at the ministerial level to seek solutions to the conflict and a humanitarian segment aimed at mobilizing donations and providing substantial aid to the devastated country in the Horn of Africa. The meeting also includes about 40 civil society figures.
Paris hosts the international conference on Sudan exactly one year after the onset of the war between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
In one year, the war in Sudan has resulted in thousands of deaths, including up to 15,000 people in a single city in West Darfur, according to UN experts.
The war has pushed the country’s population of 48 million to the brink of famine, destroyed already dilapidated infrastructure, and displaced over 8.5 million people, according to the UN.
The NGO Action Against Hunger emphasized the “urgent” need for action in Chad to provide aid to refugees streaming across the border from neighboring Sudan.
William Carter, director for Sudan at the Norwegian Refugee Council, stated, “Civilians are suffering from hunger, massive sexual violence, ethnic massacres on a large scale, and executions… Yet, the world continues to look away.”
“International Community Must Wake Up”
Carter further commented that “today marks a shameful milestone for the warring parties in Sudan, as well as for the international community that has let this disaster worsen.”
While approximately 25 million people in Sudan, about half the population, need assistance, Jean Stowell, head of mission at Doctors Without Borders, warned of a “very worrying humanitarian vacuum.”
Stowell added, “In addition to deaths linked to violence, we see children dying from malnutrition, lack of vaccines, and women suffering complications from risky births.”
The French Foreign Ministry noted that “funding for the UN’s humanitarian appeal last year reached only half. This year, funding has not exceeded five percent,” expressing little expectation of closing this gap during the Paris conference, “but we hope it will awaken the international community.”
The “Donors Conference” in Paris seeks to address the critical funding shortfall for emergencies in Sudan and neighboring countries, which exceeds $2.5 billion.
Mediation efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia have been stalled for months. U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello expressed hope on Thursday that the Paris conference would help resume talks.
Politically, meetings involving neighboring countries (Chad, Libya, Kenya, Djibouti, South Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia), Gulf states (Saudi Arabia and the UAE), and Western powers (the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway) are scheduled.
