April 15, 2025
Agencies – Darfur24
The international community meeting in London on Tuesday called for an end to the fighting in Sudan, pledging to raise more than €800 million for the country mired in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis caused by a war now in its third year.
“We simply cannot look away,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said at the opening of the conference, organized at the initiative of Britain, the European Union, Germany, France, and the African Union.
He continued, “Too many have abandoned Sudan… This is a moral mistake, given the number of civilian deaths, the number of one-year-old infants exposed to sexual violence, and the number of people threatened by famine, which exceeds levels recorded anywhere else in the world.”
The war in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023, between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, against the backdrop of a power struggle between the two former allies. The country has been transformed into divided zones of influence, facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in years.
The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, more than 13 million internally displaced, and the country of 50 million people has been plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations, which indicates a gradual spread of famine.
The Sudanese government was not invited to participate in the conference and protested to the United Kingdom, criticizing “the British government’s approach of equating the sovereign Sudanese state, a member of the United Nations since 1956, with a terrorist militia committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and unprecedented atrocities against civilians.”
The Sudanese army controls northern and eastern Sudan, while the Rapid Support Forces control the south and most of Darfur in the west. Both sides are accused of committing atrocities.
At the opening of the conference, which brought together ministers from 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United States, as well as representatives of the United Nations and the Arab League, several countries announced new contributions to humanitarian aid exceeding €800 million.
This amount is in addition to the approximately two billion euros mobilized last year during a similar summit in Paris.
The European Union intends to allocate an additional €522 million this year, and Commissioner for International Cooperation, Haja Lahbib, called for “close ranks” to demand that the warring parties “respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians.”
Before the opening of the conference, David Lamy announced new aid of £120 million (€139.5 million), which will provide vital supplies, particularly for vulnerable children, and support victims of sexual violence.
Germany, for its part, is allocating an additional €125 million to Sudan and neighboring countries hosting large numbers of refugees.
France, meanwhile, will mobilize €50 million, according to Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
“Refrain from Interference”
Before the conference opened, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi warned that “continuing to turn a blind eye to the situation in Sudan,” where the war has entered its third year, would have “catastrophic consequences” for the country and the region.
Grandi said, “We must do everything we can to restore peace to Sudan,” also warning Europeans of an influx of Sudanese refugees if adequate assistance is not provided.
From London, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, called for “an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities,” stressing that the African Union “will not accept… the disintegration of Sudan.”
He said, “We call on all external parties to refrain from interfering in Sudan.” Meanwhile, the Sudanese army accuses the UAE of supporting the Rapid Support Forces.
The UAE, for its part, denies these accusations and called on the warring parties in a statement on Tuesday to immediately implement a “ceasefire.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, “Those who seek to gain power or influence in Sudan through military or financial support are fueling the conflict.”
On Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “grave concern about the continued flow of weapons and fighters into Sudan,” without naming the countries sending them.