More than £1bn pledged for Sudan as humanitarian crisis deepens | global development

More than £1 billion (€1.15 billion) has been pledged for war victims Sudan At a conference in Berlin, organizers blacked out the funding target to help mitigate the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.

The financial commitments entered into on Wednesday will also help offset a chronic humanitarian funding shortfall in a country devastate through three years of conflict, where two-thirds of its population – 34 million people – need assistance.

German ministers have set a notional target of $1bn (£740m) in funding commitments from international donors.

Hours after hearing UN chief António Guterres call for an end to the “nightmare”, delegates pledged a total of £1.13 billion.

However, the prospect of peace remains the same far away as alwayswith little progress reported on ceasefire talks. Neither of Sudan’s warring parties – the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army – traveled to Berlin.

Like the conference got underway, Sudan’s military-aligned foreign ministry denounced delegates for failing to consult it, accusing Western countries of a “colonial tutelage approach”.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Germany’s foreign ministry, many chanting against the United Arab Emirates and its alleged support for the RSF.

Inside, speaking on the sidelines of the event, Donald Trump’s senior adviser on African affairs, Massad Boulos, said the US was not taking sides in the war and that “our only concern is humanitarian”.

Boulos said the US was seeking a humanitarian ceasefire that would allow aid to reach those in need, adding that any ceasefire must lead to a permanent ceasefire.

Diplomatic efforts led by the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE – known as the Quad – have so far failed to achieve meaningful progress.

Announcing the funding pledges, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the commitments provide a rare positive development in the context of shrink aid budgets.

He said: “The fact that, in a world of dwindling humanitarian resources, participants have already pledged more than €1.3 billion in support is a good sign. For this, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all donors.”

Sudan is grappling with an alarming funding shortfall to meet its major humanitarian challenges.

So far just 16% of the total £2.1 billion humanitarian needs assessment for Sudan this year.

Guterres earlier told international delegates that “credible allegations of the worst international crimes” were constantly emerging from the conflict.

He said: “Women and girls have been terrorized and systematic sexual violence has prevailed. Families and communities have been devastated.

“Partners must act. But let’s be clear: funding alone cannot replace peace.”

Guterres called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, adding: “External interference and the flow of weapons that fueled this war must finally end.”

Egypt is one of a number of states that support Sudan’s military, while evidence suggests that the UAE supports the RSF; to claim it denies it.

Without naming any countries, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called for a concerted international effort to stop the flow of weapons to Sudan.

She said: “Countries from all over the world are coming together here in Berlin to discuss how the international community has, frankly, failed the people of Sudan.”