Germany on Monday pledged an additional €244 million to Sudan and neighboring countries, including South Sudan, in light of rising humanitarian needs due to the conflict in Sudan.
Annalena Baerbock, the German Federal Foreign Minister, made the commitment on 15 April during the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighboring Countries in Paris which was co-hosted by Germany, France, and the European Union.
According to a communique after the conference, which coincided exactly with the first anniversary of the war in Sudan, the unprecedented meeting in “Team Europe” format follows on from the conferences held in Berlin in 2020 and Paris in 2021 to support the Sudanese transition, as well as the Sudan Pledging Conference in Geneva in June 2023 and the high-level meetings in New York in September and December 2023.
“This conference brought together ministers and representatives of 58 States, including neighboring and regional countries and donors; representatives of regional organizations such as the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and the League of Arab States; the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sudan and the leaders or representatives of many United Nations programs and agencies, including OCHA, the UNHCR, WHO, the WFP, the IOM and UNFPA, and UNDP; the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross; representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Arab Development Bank,” the communique read. “Around 50 international and Sudanese NGOs also participated in the conference. They gathered to focus on shared goals: calling on the warring parties to put an end to the hostilities, comply with international humanitarian law, and guarantee full, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to the whole Sudanese territory, including through cross-border operations, as well as to waive all bureaucratic impediments to the delivery of aid. Participants also mobilized essential funding required for the humanitarian response in Sudan and neighboring countries, enabling the scaling-up of humanitarian assistance needed in order to prevent any further degradation of food insecurity that could lead to famine.”
The communique said that the ongoing conflict comes with terrible consequences for the people of Sudan and neighboring countries, which have taken in more than 2 million people seeking refuge within their borders. Sudan itself hosts the largest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) globally: 9 million, 6.8 million of whom were displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict.
More than 27 million people, more than half of the Sudanese people, need humanitarian assistance, while 18 million people are suffering from acute food insecurity in Sudan. Most healthcare infrastructure is at a standstill.
“France, Germany, and the European Union express their solidarity with and support for the Sudanese civilian population, the primary victims of this war. We strongly condemn the violence against civilians, including attacks on ethnic grounds, indiscriminate bombardment of residential areas, and sexual and gender-based violence, including against children,” the communique said. “It is crucial to continue reminding the parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law and fight impunity by doing everything possible to make sure those responsible for atrocities are prosecuted and held accountable.”
The organizers commended the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Ramtane Lamamra to find a solution to this conflict and alleviate suffering, as well as the work of international and local humanitarian organizations to support the populations affected by the conflict and the efforts of neighboring States to take in large numbers of people seeking refuge within their borders.
“In response to the United Nations appeal for funding on 7 February 2024, international donors have today (Monday) announced that they will provide more than 2 billion, including nearly €900 million from the European Union and its Member States, to support civilian populations in Sudan and those who sought refuge in neighboring countries in 2024,” the communique added.
The conference participants said their collective efforts to ensure that Sudan does not become a forgotten crisis will not waver and urged all their partners to step up their efforts to bring it to an end.