April 16, 2024
3 mins read

France hosts Sudan conference a year into ‘forgotten’ war

The conference, co-hosted by Germany and the European Union, was to include a ministerial meeting on political matters as well as a humanitarian meeting to raise funds…reports Asian Lite News

France and its allies on Monday sought to drum up hundreds of millions in aid for Sudan a year since civil war erupted, sparking one of the world’s worst and most under-funded humanitarian crises.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 8.5 million more forced to flee their homes since fighting broke out on April 15 last year between rival generals.

Sudan is experiencing “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory”, with more people displaced inside the country than anywhere else in the world and a fast-growing hunger crisis, the United Nations says.

 At the conference in Paris, France is seeking contributions from the international community and attention to a crisis that officials say is being crowded out of the global conversation by conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

“For a year the Sudanese people have been the victims of a terrible war,” French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said. Yet they had also suffered from “being forgotten” and “indifference”.

“This is the reason for our meetings today: to break the silence surrounding this conflict and mobilise the international community,” he said in opening remarks.

The conference, co-hosted by Germany and the European Union, was to include a ministerial meeting on political matters as well as a humanitarian meeting to raise funds.

Aid workers say a year of war has led to a catastrophe, but the world has turned away from the country of 48 million as conflict rages between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Only 5 per cent of the 3.8-billion-euro ($4.1 billion) target in the UN’s latest humanitarian appeal had been funded ahead of the conference this year, according to France’s foreign ministry.

At the opening, a total of 840 million euros ($895 million) had been pledged after announcements from France, Germany, the European Union and the United States.

A diplomatic source, asking not to be named, said total donations could well top “a billion euros” by the end of the meeting.

On the fifth anniversary of a fire that ravaged the French capital’s Notre Dame cathedral, Save the Children contrasted the lack of donations for Sudan with the international response to the Paris blaze.

“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,” said the charity’s country director in Sudan, Arif Noor.

“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.”

Fourteen million children need humanitarian assistance to survive, Save the Children says.

According to Will Carter, Sudan country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, civilians in Sudan are “enduring starvation, mass sexual violence, large-scale ethnic killing, and executions”.

“Millions more are displaced, and yet the world continues to look the other way,” he said earlier.

An estimated 1.8 million people have fled Sudan — many to neighbouring Chad, now also suffering a humanitarian crisis — and 6.7 million have been internally displaced.

ALSO READ-UK, France warn US on Ukraine aid

Previous Story

UK govt sanctions businesses funding Sudanese conflict

Next Story

Cameron urges Israel not to retaliate against Iran

Latest from -Top News

Hasina’s Defiant Words Before Ouster

Reportedly before leaving Hasina wanted to record a farewell speech to be aired on television, but military officials declined….reports Asian Lite News Following a violent student uprising last year, the Bangladeshi military

US Lawmakers Push AI Watchdog on China

The lawmakers stressed that “there is a strong national security need for better understanding, predicting, and preparing for the PRC’s AI progress…reports Asian Lite News Chairman John Moolenaar and Ranking Member Raja

Trump’s 51st State Pitch to Canada

The development follows a meeting between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on May 6, where Trump praised Carney’s political success….reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump claimed that he

Azhar Acquittal Sparks Outrage in Bangladesh

Jailed for nearly 13 years for war crimes, Azharul was received by party leaders and activists at the jail gate by his radical supporters….reports Asian Lite News Once accused of committing crimes

Trump Warns Putin: ‘Playing with Fire’

Trump on Sunday made harsh remarks on both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky…reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is “playing with fire”
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Thousands flee violence-hit Sudan

Brutal fighting erupted in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, on

Sudan voices self-restraint amid mounting border crisis with Ethiopia

The Sudanese government has expressed commitment to restraint and non-escalation