NEW YORK CITY: International donors pledged nearly $1.5 billion in aid for the humanitarian response in Sudan and neighboring countries that are hosting refugees who fled the fighting there, the UN said after a fundraising event in Geneva on Monday.
However, the donations during the ministerial-level pledging conference fell well short of the $2.57 billion the UN said it requires for its emergency aid program in Sudan, where about 25 million people, more than half of them children, are in need of humanitarian assistance to survive.
The event was organized by the UN, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Germany, the African Union and the EU. They called on warring factions in Sudan to immediately halt the fighting and honor the Jeddah Declaration they signed on May 11, which includes commitments to prioritize peace talks leading to a permanent ceasefire, protection of civilians, respect for humanitarian law, and free and unhindered access for humanitarian workers.
The conflict has forced more than 2.2 million people from their homes. Some have fled to safer areas inside the country but about half a million have crossed the border into neighboring states.
The conference took place during an agreed 72-hour ceasefire between the two rival factions: The Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. It is the latest in a series of truces agreed since fighting began in April, all of which collapsed.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during the conference that the scale and speed with which the crisis had escalated was “unprecedented,” and warned that without international support “Sudan could quickly become a locus of lawlessness, radiating insecurity across the region. I appeal to you all today to provide funding to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid and support to people living in the most difficult and dangerous conditions.”
Delegates called on the warring generals to remove all impediments to the humanitarian response, including restrictions on visas and freedom of movement, “without delay.” They also urged them to ensure that humanitarian supplies and workers can reach all parts of Sudan, including Darfur, where nearly 9 million people need assistance.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi minister of foreign affairs, reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to the continuing search for a political solution to the crisis.
“The government and people of the Kingdom have spared no effort in supporting the Sudanese people since the beginning of the crisis, announcing the provision of humanitarian assistance worth $100 million through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the operation of an air bridge of 13 aircraft, as well as a sea bridge carrying food, health, shelter and other assistance on board, besides launching a national donation campaign,” he said.
He added that “the Kingdom also initiated the implementation of the first maritime evacuations of citizens and nationals of other countries from Sudan, which contributed to the evacuation of 8,455 people from 110 countries.”
Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s foreign minister, said the stability and security of Sudan is “integral” to the stability and security of his country and the entire region, as he called for a sustainable ceasefire to end the bloodshed.
Egypt is hosting 250,000 Sudanese refugees and the number “will continue to rise as long as hostilities persist, increasing the pressure on host communities,” he added.
He urged the international community to ramp up urgent humanitarian assistance and financial support for host countries in a way that ensures “their resilience and peaceful coexistence and social cohesion.”
Germany pledged €200 million ($219 million) during the event and Katja Keul, minister of state at the country’s Federal Foreign Office, called for hostilities in Sudan to cease immediately.
“Humanitarian access must be ensured,” she added. “Humanitarian workers must be able to provide life-saving assistance without fearing for their own lives. Assistance to vulnerable communities within Sudan, and to neighboring countries, must be scaled up.”
Aid operations across Sudan have been hampered by looting and violence, in addition to bureaucratic obstacles. The UN called for the funds pledged on Monday to be delivered immediately, given the “growing humanitarian needs and the rising cost of operations.”
