International donors seek to raise humanitarian aid for Sudan
Top diplomats and international aid groups are meeting Monday in Paris, seeking to raise money for humanitarian aid for Sudan on the anniversary of war breaking out in the African nation.
In a video statement delivered at the meeting, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the proposed $2.7 billion U.N. humanitarian response plan for Sudan is only about 6% funded, and the $1.4 billion regional refugee response plan for Sudan is only about 7% funded.
One year ago, tensions between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and spread across the country. The U.N. reports the conflict has killed more 14,000 people and injured 33,000 others.
At a news briefing opening the conference, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne told reporters the conflict has left 27 million Sudanese — more than half of the population — in need of humanitarian aid. He said 18 million people are acutely food insecure and are threatened with famine, and more than eight million people have been forced to flee their homes.
Initial pledges at the conference Monday include $244 million from Germany and more than $377 million from the European Union.
In a statement issued ahead of the conference, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power said the U.S will pledge “$100 million in emergency food assistance, nutrition support, and other life-saving aid.”
Power said in the statement this most recent pledge “brings total U.S. humanitarian aid to more than $1 billion since the conflict began.”
The conference includes a ministerial meeting on political matters, to be accompanied by talks about the humanitarian situation in Sudan, which organizers said would include dozens of representatives of Sudan’s civil society.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
