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Paris, France – In a significant international effort to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, world donors have pledged more than $2.1 billion in aid, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday. The announcement came at the conclusion of a pivotal conference held in Paris, which focused on rallying support for the war-stricken nation.
The aid is earmarked for critical needs such as food, water, and medicine, President Macron explained, though he did not specify a timeline for the distribution of the funds. Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April last year, following escalated tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. This conflict has precipitated widespread violence in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas, pushing millions to the verge of famine.
During the conference, top diplomats, United Nations officials, and representatives from various aid agencies made urgent appeals for the cessation of attacks on civilians and for the warring factions to allow humanitarian access. The need for immediate international mediation to foster peace was also a central topic.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the global oversight of Sudan’s dire situation amidst other international crises. “Much of the world has been focused on the crisis that was generated in the Middle East. As concerning as those developments are, other dramatic life-and-death emergencies are being pushed into the shadows,” he stated. He highlighted that the plight of Sudanese people is being overlooked globally.
The U.N. has estimated that about $2.7 billion is required this year to provide adequate food, healthcare, and other essential supplies to approximately 24 million people—nearly half of Sudan’s population. Before the conference, only a fraction of this amount, about $145 million, had been secured, according to the U.N’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Of the newly pledged funds, around 900 million euros were contributed by European Union countries, Macron detailed. The conference, which saw the participation of members of Sudan’s civil society but excluded the country’s conflicting military factions, marked a crucial step toward addressing the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Sudan.
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