The US Special Envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, said on Wednesday that the United States will provide additional funding exceeding one hundred million dollars to aid the Sudanese people amidst the ongoing conflict on its territory, according to Reuters. This comes as Washington seeks to mobilize more funds during an international donor conference on the humanitarian crisis this month.
Perriello expressed hope that partners around the world would give greater priority to the civil war in Sudan and that more countries would participate in a donor conference in Paris on April 15. The conference’s start coincides with the one-year anniversary of the conflict’s outbreak when long-simmering tensions turned into violent fighting between the army and the semi-military Rapid Support Forces.
Perriello stated, “The international response is very weak, we have received five percent of the required amount,” adding that the United States has already allocated more than one billion dollars in humanitarian aid for the conflict. He added, without going into details, “We will provide another batch with a nine-figure sum (more than one hundred million dollars).”
The war has pushed millions into severe hunger, caused the world’s largest displacement crisis, and triggered waves of killings and sexual violence based on ethnicity in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
Perriello also said it is unlikely that peace talks will resume on April 18, a date he had previously indicated Washington was looking forward to. Saudi Arabia and the United States had led failed talks in Jeddah last year in an attempt to reach a ceasefire.
“I don’t think we will see meetings in Jeddah on the 18th,” he added, noting that Washington does not expect the formal talks to begin, but negotiations are taking place every day.
“We frankly want to start the talks as soon as possible, but what we know is that the Saudis are committed to the talks, talks that include a broader range of key actors, and we hope they will stick to a specific date.”
