Germany is hosting an international conference on Wednesday to raise funds to help those affected by the war in Sudan.
Wednesday also marks the third anniversary of the war between the Sudanese military under Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Ahead of the start of the conference, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he was hopeful that more than $1 billion (around €850 million) could be raised.
“This major humanitarian crisis in Africa must not be forgotten,” he told German radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
Who are Sudan’s RSF?
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What did Germany say ahead of the Sudan conference?
“Confirmations are still coming in,” Wadephul said on Wednesday morning. “We want to achieve more than we did at the last conference in London — that was a billion [US] dollars,” he said.
German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan said that Germany would free up another €20 million, on top of the €155.4 million it earmarked for projects in Sudan at the end of last year.
Wadephul said that, despite tight budgetary constraints, Berlin must attempt to fill the funding gap left by massive cuts to US foreign aid carried out by the Trump administration.
He said he had also spoken to the German Economy Minister Lars Klingbeil in light of Germany’s own recent cuts to aid, saying it was not a “moral-ethical obligation,” but rather a way to prevent people having to flee the country.
UK, Norway pledge support
Additional pledges also came from the UK and Norway on Wednesday. British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper vowed an additional 146 million pounds (around €168 million, $198 million) while her Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide vowed €42 million.
Cooper also called for an international effort to stem the flow of weapons into Sudan and to push for a ceasefire.
“Countries from across the world are coming together here in Berlin to discuss the way, frankly, the international community has failed the people of Sudan,” she said on the sidelines of the conference.
“We need to ensure that every possible pressure is put on those warring parties to reach the urgent ceasefire that we desperately need to see,” she added.
Sudan war enters fourth year, no end in sight
The wars in Iran and Ukraine have taken away international focus from the war in Sudan, but the toll of the conflict has not waned. Here are some of the figures after three years of war:
At least 59,000 people have been killed, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), although the true death toll could be much higher
Around 4,300 children are believed to be among the dead, according to UNICEF
19 million people are facing acute hunger, according to the World Food Program (WFP)
Some 9 million people have been internally displaced, another 4.5 million have fled to neighboring countries
Around 217 health facilities have been targeted in verified attacks, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
The conflict followed the 2019 ouster of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir. The hoped-for transition lost out to the internal conflict between Burhan and Dagalo, his deputy at the time, as they sought to fill the power vacuum.
The country is now divided between the military in Khartoum who control much of the north, east and central regions, which include the country’s Red Sea ports and oil refineries, and the RSF who control Darfur and parts of the Kordofan region in Sudan’s south and west.
How gold keeps Sudan at war
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The war has taken on an international aspect due to interest in Sudan’s oil fields and gold mines, with the military primarily getting support from Egypt and the RSF being supported, according to mounting evidence, by the United Arab Emirates, although the latter denies involvement.
Millions of people have been caught in the violence, including the rampant sexual violence. This is especially the case in Darfur where the RSF have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“This grim and chastening anniversary marks another year when the world has failed to meet the test of Sudan,” United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said.
Edited by: Rana Taha
