Millions of Sudanese are fleeing or at risk of starvation. It is “the biggest refugee crisis in the world,” Foreign Minister Baerbach told an aid conference in Paris. Donor countries pledged an additional two billion euros.
A year after the start of the war in Sudan, an international donor conference in Paris pledged more than two billion euros worth of aid. French President Emmanuel Macron announced this at the end of the conference, but did not give a time frame.
“We are not forgetting what is happening in Sudan, we are mobilizing,” Macron said, speaking of the world's worst humanitarian crisis and the risk of famine. “The scale of our commitment will enable us to address the most urgent needs in nutrition, sanitation, water, sanitation, education and protection of the most vulnerable populations.”
Appeals to warring parties, attempts at peace
The French president said the talks in Paris focused on better coordination of efforts to achieve peace and end the conflict. This includes cutting off funding for the war, in which supporters of the two conflicting parties may have invested more than the money raised for aid at donor conferences.
The Convention calls on belligerents to respect international law and ensure the safety of civilians. “We urge you to establish an immediate ceasefire so that humanitarian workers can provide protection to all Sudanese in need,” Macron said.
244 million euros from Germany
Germany alone pledged 244 million euros worth of aid to Sudan and its neighboring countries. Another 350 million will come from the EU, 138 million from the US and 110 million from France.
At the start, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Beyerbach and her French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné called on the international community to urgently support the country rocked by violence.
A year after the conflict broke out, the Sudanese people, who suffered from flight and hunger, were also victims of being forgotten, Sejourne said in Paris. “Today we put a forgotten crisis on the agenda.”
Baerbach: “Great The refugee crisis of the world”
Baerbach said the “biggest refugee crisis in the world” is happening “right before our eyes”. Refugee camps in South Sudan “literally exploded.” More and more refugees arrive every day and can no longer really be looked after. “The people there practically don't have everything.” They needed food, clean drinking water, baby food, medicine, clothing, schools, emergency shelter and psychological care.
“We are making it clear today that we will not turn a blind eye to the suffering of people in Sudan,” the Green politician said. “People die there every day as two ruthless generals wage their power struggle on the backs of the population.”
18 million people were threatened with starvation
The UN needs about $2.7 billion this year to provide food, medical and other aid to Sudan's 24 million people — nearly half of Sudan's population of 51 million.
Séjourné said the purpose of the conference was to move the world to action. 18 million people are at risk of hunger. Paris is also exploring a path to lasting peace and a return to a democratic process in Sudan.
A power struggle between Sudan's de facto ruler, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his then-deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daghlo, has fueled the world's biggest refugee crisis in the past twelve months. In Paris, EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell spoke about the world's biggest migration crisis. The first goal is to end the fighting and humanitarian aid. Emphasis should be placed on civil voices to initiate political action. The EU can help with this.
IOM: 20,000 displaced people every day
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 20,000 people are forced to leave the country every day. A report says that more than half of them are children and teenagers. A total of 8.6 million people have already been displaced by the fighting, many of whom have had to flee the violence multiple times.
The conflict is putting pressure on the entire region. More than six million Sudanese have fled their country, and about two million have fled to neighboring countries, particularly Chad, South Sudan and Egypt. “Millions of people are displaced, starving, exploited and abused, but their plight is ignored by much of the world,” the Pope lamented at the Sudan conference.
. “Amateur alcohol specialist. Reader. Hardcore introvert. Freelance explorer.”