Summary of the day
Senior officials gathered in Paris for an international humanitarian conference on Sudan, co-organised by France, Germany and the European Union.
Stéphane Séjourné, the French foreign minister, expressed his solidarity with the Sudanese people and conveyed a sense of urgency to mobilise the international community and provide more financing for humanitarian assistance.
Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, said “what we are witnessing in Sudan is the worst child displacement crisis in the world.”
Janez Lenarčič, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, said “the first thing that we have to do is to make sure that Sudan is not forgotten.”
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has said the war in Sudan “has triggered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world” and “we must put an end to this man-made disaster.”
He also presented a five-point list of priorities, including reaching a humanitarian truce.
The UK imposed new sanctions on businesses linked with financing Sudan’s warring parties.
Canada announced sanctions on six individuals and entities for directly or indirectly undermining peace, security and stability in Sudan.
Arif Noor, country director of Save the Children in Sudan, said “enough sitting on the fence. Children and families in Sudan need leaders to commit to more funding today.”
Laetitia Bader, Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said that the “donors meeting in Paris on Sudan need to fund the shamefully under-supported humanitarian response including finding innovative ways to support local responders.”
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced that donors have pledged over 2 billion euros for Sudan.
More than €2bn committed for Sudan, Macron announces
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, announced at the end of today’s conference that more than 2 billion euros will be mobilised for aiding Sudanese people.
EN DIRECT |Clôture de la Conférence humanitaire internationale pour le Soudan et les pays voisins : le discours du Président @EmmanuelMacron. https://t.co/T9vfNyCZgU
— Élysée (@Elysee) April 15, 2024
Updated
Speaking at the conference, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said that April 15 is a tragic date for Sudan.
The conflict has sparked one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, the French leader stressed.
He thanked those present at the conference, and underlined the need not to forget the situation in Sudan.
Updated
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, is now attending a closing session of the Sudan conference.
Stéphane Séjourné, the French foreign minister, reiterated his call for more financing for Sudan.
🔴 EN DIRECT | Ouverture de la séquence pledging par @steph_sejourne ⤵️#SudanConference https://t.co/iCFbVDEjHb
— France Diplomatie🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) April 15, 2024
“In the first 105 days of 2024, the amount of money raised for the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is less than a fifth of what was pledged in just two days to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” Save the Children said today.
Arif Noor, country director of Save the Children in Sudan, said that “it is staggering that after a fire in which nobody died, donors from across the world were so moved to pledge funds to restore Notre Dame cathedral. Meanwhile, children in Sudan are left to fend for themselves as war rages around them, starvation and disease are on the increase and almost the entire country’s child population has been out of school for a year.”
“There has been limited to no collective global effort to protect children in Sudan – and now we are faced with the stark reality that people care more about a building than 14 million children. Enough sitting on the fence. Children and families in Sudan need leaders to commit to more funding today,” he added.
Mohammed Qazilbash, country director for Plan International Sudan, warned today that “there are now more forcibly displaced children from Sudan than any other country and this number is growing every day.”
“ These children are losing their families, they increasingly can’t access food and water and they haven’t been able to go to school for a year,” he said.
He added:
As the situation continues to deteriorate, we are urgently calling for an immediate end to hostilities across Sudan, greater financial support to address the huge level of need
sin the region and a commitment by the international community for immediate and long-term support to collectively build a better future for Sudan. After a year of conflict and disaster, we cannot let Sudan become another forgotten emergency.”
Updated
Canada imposes sanctions
Mélanie Joly, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, announced today that the country is introducing new sanctions in response to the conflict in Sudan.
“Canada is imposing sanctions on six individuals and entities for directly or indirectly undermining peace, security and stability in Sudan. Those sanctioned are associated with the SAF or RSF, the main parties to the ongoing conflict,” Canada’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Updated
'Worst child displacement crisis in the world': German minister speaks out about Sudan's children
Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, spoke about the children of Sudan during today’s conference.
“What we are witnessing in Sudan is the worst child displacement crisis in the world,” she said.
And yet, she said, “in many of our countries, as the war enters in its second year, it is practically absent from our daily news.”
“Every life counts equally, whether in Ukraine, in Gaza, or in Sudan,” the minister said.
“The international community has to provide more for the people of Sudan, for the children of Sudan,” she said, noting that Germany will provide 244 million euros in bilateral assistance for Sudan on top of its EU support.
Updated
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has presented five points at the Paris conference.
These include pushing the warring parties to commit to a cessation of hostilities to create a lasting peace, reaching a humanitarian truce to allow aid workers to operate without limitations and strengthening coordination on mediation.
Conférence de Paris sur le Soudan co-présidée avec @steph_sejourne @ABaerbock @JanezLenarcic. Le Soudan est plongé dans le chaos depuis 1 an, l’urgence humanitaire est absolue. Accroitre la pression internationale sur les belligérants est crucial.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 15, 2024
J’ai proposé 5 points: 🧵 1/4 pic.twitter.com/wvM8QWsbqg
“The blockage of aid by the Sudanese authorities to some areas has resulted in restricted humanitarian access, exacerbating the crisis for people in dire need of healthcare,” Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said today of the situation in Sudan.
“We urge the warring parties to allow humanitarian aid and access, and for the UN and organisations to immediately scale up their response,” the organisation said.
Today marks one year since conflict engulfed Sudan, leaving millions suffering amidst relentless fighting. The blockage of aid by the Sudanese authorities to some areas has resulted in restricted humanitarian access, exacerbating the crisis for people in dire need of healthcare.… pic.twitter.com/txxgMStMxm
— MSF International (@MSF) April 15, 2024
On the sidelines of today’s conference, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, CEO of NGO Mercy Corps, told reporters that “Sudan is out of time”.
“The people of Sudan are on the brink of famine, 25 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. 9 million people are displaced internally or in neighboring countries. Enough is enough,” McKenna said.
“We need more funds, we need mediation to resolve the crisis. We need an urgent call for humanitarian organisations to work safely, to access the people,” she added.
Here are images from today’s conference in Paris.
Cory Booker, a US senator from New Jersey, said “there are so many crises in the world that demand our attention, but the crisis in Sudan must not suffer from our indifference.”
“We have the power to save lives and help those suffering,” he stressed.
A civil war in Sudan that started one year ago has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) April 15, 2024
In March, I led a Congressional delegation to the Chad - Sudan border and visited a large and growing refugee camp. We witnessed the enormity of the crisis… pic.twitter.com/SkNUZfUhUB
'Stop wishfully thinking', Human Rights Watch says, calling for action on Sudan
Laetitia Bader, Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said today that the “donors meeting in Paris on Sudan need to fund the shamefully under-supported humanitarian response including finding innovative ways to support local responders.”
“They also need to stop wishfully thinking that the two warring parties are going to start without pressure to respect basic international standards,” she said. “Global leaders need to act to ensure consequences for the parties’ unlawful actions.”
In a joint statement, Norway’s minister of international development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, and minister of foreign affairs, Espen Barth Eide, warned today that “the very existence of the Sudanese state is in danger; the social fabric is crumbling.”
“We are appalled by the extreme human suffering,” they said.
“There is no military solution to this conflict. The only way to achieve a sustainable peace is through a representative and inclusive Sudanese process built on democratic principles,” the Norwegian ministers said.
'Under-funding': Caritas International calls for aid to Sudan despite focus on other conflicts
In a statement today, NGO Caritas International urged the international community “not to abandon the people of Sudan, despite the focus on conflicts elsewhere.”
While there are many positive grassroots efforts to support, including peacebuilding initiatives by religious and traditional leaders and financial provision flowing from the Sudanese diaspora, we appeal urgently for much greater international humanitarian support to mitigate the enormity of the suffering of the people.
Comparing the vast scale of need and the under-funding of the response compared to other major crises, the Pledging Conference must unlock new and additional resources, and prioritise working through diaspora and partnership-based agencies that can get these to local frontline responders.
We also call for much more assertive and coordinated international engagement in seeking increased humanitarian access (including facilitation of cross-border operations from Chad and South Sudan), diplomatic solutions to achieve an urgent ceasefire, and an end to a conflict that has now created the world’s largest hunger crisis in 2024.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, said today that “there’s still time to avert the worst” but that what is needed is humanitarian access, humanitarian corridors, an end to attacks on health and funding to meet the vast health needs.
Every second person in #Sudan is in need of humanitarian assistance. There’s still time to avert the worst but we need:
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 15, 2024
- humanitarian access across borders, and humanitarian corridors;
- attacks on health to end;
- funding to meet the vast health needs.https://t.co/QPBS9xDKSv
Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-British telecoms billionaire and campaigner, said in a statement today that “the world is facing many challenges, but we must ensure that the people of Sudan are not forgotten. Events in Ukraine and now Gaza have captured the attention of the world, while Sudan’s collapse has become just another far-away war.”
“The international community must meet its responsibility to the men, women and children of Sudan and ensure that the critical aid shortfall, including in food aid, is urgently addressed,” he said, adding that “the friends of Sudan engaged in trying to bring this conflict to a close must redouble their efforts.”
'Alarming risk of further violations' in Sudan, UN high commissioner says
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, has warned of a further escalation in violence in Sudan.
“The Sudanese people have been subjected to untold suffering during the conflict which has been marked by indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas, ethnically-motivated attacks, and a high incidence of conflict-related sexual violence. The recruitment and use of children by parties to the conflict are also deeply concerning,” Türk said in a statement today.
“Civilians have already suffered immensely and with reports over the weekend of an imminent attack on El-Fasher, North Darfur, there is an alarming risk of further violations and abuses against civilians amid a still worsening humanitarian crisis across the country,” he said, adding that “the fighting must end.”
UK imposes new sanctions on companies linked to Sudan's warring parties
The UK today imposed new sanctions on businesses linked with financing Sudan’s warring parties.
In a statement, the British foreign office said that “strict measures will impose an asset freeze on companies linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and will limit their financial freedom.”
“These sanctions send a clear signal to the warring parties that they must end fighting and meaningfully engage in a peace process,” the foreign office said.
The sanctions announced today target Alkhaleej Bank, which the foreign office said is “a financial institution which has been key to the RSF financing its operations and to it controlling key elements of the Sudanese economy.”
The sanctions also include Al-Fakher Advanced Works, which the foreign office described as “a holding company used by the RSF to export gold. The proceeds of these sales are used to purchase weapons to allow the RSF to continue fighting.”
Also sanctioned is Red Rock Mining, which the foreign office said is “a mining and exploration company which is a subsidiary of Sudan Master Technology, which the UK has already designated and provides funds to the SAF.”
Inside South Sudan’s worsening refugee crisis – in pictures
As the war in Sudan moves into its second year, 1,000 refugees a day continue to cross its southern border.
Within the small town of Renk in South Sudan, a rapidly growing refugee population faces desperate shortages of water, food and shelter.
For many, South Sudan marks a return to a land they thought they had left behind, having fled the country after civil war broke out in 2013. Now new fighting in their adopted country has forced them back again
British Foreign Office officials are holding secret talks with the paramilitary group that has been waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Sudan for the past year.
News that the British government and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are engaged in clandestine negotiations has prompted warnings that such talks risk legitimising the notorious militia – which continues to commit multiple war crimes – while undermining Britain’s moral credibility in the region.
One human rights group described the UK’s willingness to negotiate with the RSF as “shocking”. In December, the US accused the paramilitary force of committing crimes against humanity as it carries out widespread massacres and rapes of civilians, many from the African Masalit ethnic community.
The revelations come as the war between the RSF and Sudan’s military reaches its first anniversary on Monday.
Read the full story here.
'We must put an end to this man-made disaster', Borrell says
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has said the war in Sudan “has triggered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world” and “we must put an end to this man-made disaster.”
The war in #Sudan enters its second year today.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 15, 2024
It has triggered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. We must put an end to this man-made disaster.
Ahead of the meeting in Paris, my joint Op ED w/ Commissioner @JanezLenarcic on @StandardKenyahttps://t.co/VzGHqF3otY
About 25 million people in need of humanitarian aid and support
According to the latest data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), “about 25 million people – of whom over 14 million are children – need humanitarian assistance and support” in Sudan.
“17.7 million people – more than one-third of the country’s population – are facing acute food insecurity,” according to OCHA, while “of these, 4.9 million people are on the brink of famine.”
Moreover, “more than 8.6 million people – about 16 per cent of the total population of the country – have fled their homes since the conflict started.”
'Almost invisible': EU commissioner calls for Sudan not to be forgotten
Speaking at a press conference in Paris, Janez Lenarčič, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, said “the first thing that we have to do is to make sure that Sudan is not forgotten.”
“Today, the people caught in this emergency are almost completely invisible. Other devastating crises have overtaken the news from around the world,” he said.
Lenarčič added:
One year since the war broke out, Sudan is in a state of collapse. The country has turned into one of the worst humanitarian disasters ever on the African continent. Grave violations of international humanitarian law continue unabated. As EU commissioner for humanitarian aid, I am strongly convinced that it is our duty not to look away.
The international community, he said, must act together and must act now.
The European Commission will announce a contribution of nearly 355 million euros for 2024, he noted.
Over €1bn to be pledged for Sudan: report
Today’s conference in Paris will hopefully raise “well over a billion euros” for Sudan, a French diplomatic source told Reuters.
The EU will pledge 350 million euros, France will add 110 million euros and the United States will invest a total of $147 million, sources told Reuters.
Germany pledged 244 million euros earlier on Monday.
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Paris meeting focuses on future of Sudan
France, Germany and the European Union are co-organising an international humanitarian conference for Sudan and its neighbours today in Paris on the first anniversary of a war which the UN has described as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory”.
Stéphane Séjourné, the French foreign minister, expressed his solidarity with the Sudanese people impacted by the war in a joint press conference this morning, and said the aim of the gathering is mobilising the international community.
Today’s conference, he said, will involve three meetings: a political meeting on mediation initiatives, a session on mobilising financing for humanitarian aid, and one with civil society actors.
There is an urgency to mobilise financing, he stressed.
A declaration of principles will be adopted today, the minister added.
Tomorrow in Paris, on the initiative of 🇫🇷, 🇩🇪 and the 🇪🇺, the world will come together for Sudan. #SudanConference #DontforgetSudan pic.twitter.com/ed5doXrhsZ
— France Diplomacy 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo_EN) April 14, 2024
