Top diplomats meet in Paris to offer aid to Sudan

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PARIS – Sudan's year-long war has devastated the country and pushed its people to the brink of famine. Top diplomats and aid groups are meeting in Paris on Monday to bring humanitarian support to the northeast African nation to prevent further devastation and suffering.

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In Sudan last April, tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces escalated into open fighting in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

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The meeting in Paris was attended by members of Sudan's civil society and local NGOs, but neither the Sudanese army nor representatives of its rival, the RSF.

The UN humanitarian campaign needs about $2.7 billion this year to provide food, health care and other supplies to 24 million people in Sudan, about half of its 51 million people. So far, donors have provided just $145 million, or about 5 percent, according to the UN's humanitarian office, known as OCHA.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the international community to donate and support the UN's life-saving efforts to help the people of Sudan, who are caught in a “fear of bloodshed”.

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More than 14,000 people were killed and at least 33,000 were injured in the year-long war. According to the United Nations, about 9 million people have been forced to flee their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or to neighboring countries. Famine and displacement continue, and much of the country's infrastructure—homes, hospitals, and schools—has been reduced to rubble.

“We cannot let this nightmare slip away,” Guterres said in a video address to the Paris conference. He added: “It is time to support the people of Sudan. It's time to silence the guns.”

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said Monday's conference was aimed at mobilizing humanitarian funding to help the Sudanese people, victims of both a “horrible war” and “international indifference”.

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“It's a big undertaking,” Sejourn said. “This is a war that the people of Sudan did not want, a war that will only bring chaos and misery,” he added.

EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic said the 27-member bloc is trying to ensure Sudan is not forgotten as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine dominate international news.

“The people of Sudan, who are facing this emergency, are completely invisible,” Lenarchic said. Sudan has become one of the worst humanitarian disasters on the African continent, he said, adding: “Our duty is not to look away.”

The US and Saudi Arabia initially tried to resolve the conflict through negotiations. But the efforts failed, and since October the fighting has been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which could spill over into a wider regional conflict.

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Meanwhile, aid workers warn that Sudan is on the brink of an even bigger famine that could lead to mass deaths in the coming months. Food production and distribution networks have broken down and aid agencies cannot reach the worst affected areas.

The conflict has also been marked by widespread reports of brutality, including killings, displacement and rape, particularly in the capital and western Darfur.

According to OCHA, at least 37% of the population at or above the crisis level suffers from hunger. Save the Children warned that up to 230,000 children, pregnant women and new mothers could die from malnutrition in the coming months.

“Famine in Sudan is a reality,” said Abdallah al-Dardari, regional director of the United Nations Development Programme. He called on diplomats gathered in Paris to facilitate access for humanitarian aid workers and help fund vital aid for millions of people trapped in conflicts that are “rapidly deteriorating due to a lack of respect for human rights and international law.”

The military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the RSF, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, carved out Khartoum and opened fire on each other. In 2021, Burhan and Dagalo were uneasy allies who led a military coup. They overthrew the internationally recognized civilian government that was supposed to lead Sudan's democratic transition.

— Magdi reported from Cairo.

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