An international conference taking place in Berlin on Wednesday aims to strengthen humanitarian aid to Sudan and help bring an end to the civil war that has been raging for three years, according to Pekka Haavisto, the United Nations Special Envoy for the country.
The conflict, which erupted on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has left tens of thousands dead and displaced around 11 million people. It has also triggered widespread hunger and famine, creating what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Failure by international community
“I believe today’s conference in Berlin is an excellent opportunity, once again, to call for a humanitarian truce so that aid workers can deliver assistance to ordinary people in Sudan and to bring an end to this war and the use of deeply concerning weapons, such as drones, on the battlefield,” Haavisto said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said countries from around the world had gathered to address what she described as a failure by the international community to adequately support the Sudanese people.
“We must ensure that maximum pressure is applied on the warring parties to urgently agree to a ceasefire, which is desperately needed,” she said, reiterating the importance of humanitarian assistance and coordinated efforts to halt the flow of weapons to both sides.
Ending the conflict
The Berlin conference brings together governments, humanitarian organisations and civil society groups, though the two warring factions have not been invited. Similar meetings held in London and Paris over the past two years have failed to produce significant diplomatic progress.
Sudan’s government, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, criticised the conference as a “surprising and unacceptable” interference in the country’s internal affairs, warning that engaging with paramilitary groups could undermine state sovereignty.
According to Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, the aim of the meeting is to keep international attention focused on Sudan, at a time when wars in Ukraine and Iran are dominating the agenda of European governments.
Berlin hopes to secure $1 billion in aid commitments. “It appears we have succeeded; we will announce it this afternoon,” Wadephul said, while cautioning that there is no quick solution and stressing that sustained international attention remains key to ending the conflict.
CNA