The United Nations (UN) has warned that Sudan could fall into lawlessness without international support.
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| Sudan situation: UN warns nearly 4 million children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers suffer from acute malnutrition. |
At a donor conference for Sudan on June 18 in Geneva (Switzerland), the United Nations also called on countries to provide more humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict; hoping that countries in the Middle East and Europe would increase aid efforts to address the deepening humanitarian crisis in this African country.
However, the amount of money that international donors pledged at the conference only reached about 1.5 billion USD (1.3 billion Euro), about half of the figure given by the UN.
Unprecedented escalation of tensions
For more than two months, Sudan has been embroiled in a conflict between rival military factions that has displaced 2.2 million people and killed some 2,000.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting in Geneva, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: "The conflict has left Sudan in a deadly and tragic situation. Without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become the epicenter of lawlessness, affecting security across the region."
The UN says $2.6 billion (2.3 billion euros) is needed this year for humanitarian aid to Sudan and a further $470 million in regional aid to help migrants fleeing the conflict.
"Sudan is grappling with an escalating humanitarian crisis that affects more than half of the country's population," Mr Guterres said.
Nearly 25 million people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian aid and some 4 million children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers are severely malnourished, UN agencies said ahead of the conference.
Germany doubles donations
The conference was attended by representatives from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, the African Union and the European Union.
Germany said it would double its current aid, bringing its contribution to 200 million euros. The EU pledged 190 million euros for humanitarian and development aid.
Meanwhile, Qatar's representative called on the warring parties to "put the aspirations of the Sudanese people first".
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| The conflict in Sudan has severely affected the lives of millions of women and children in the country. (Source: UN) |
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry warned of the possibility of the conflict causing a humanitarian crisis that could spread beyond the borders, stressing that Sudan's security and stability "is our own stability and security".
Three days ceasefire
The conflict began in mid-April, the result of a long-running power struggle between Sudanese army general Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The two generals, once allies, will take power together in 2021.
Residents and activists say Sudan's capital Khartoum and other urban areas have been turned into battlefields, with RSF seizing homes and other civilian property, while the military has launched repeated airstrikes on densely populated areas.
Before the conference took place, the warring parties agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.
The US embassy representative in Sudan said that the parties agreed that during the ceasefire period, they would refrain from offensive operations, not use military aircraft or drones, stop artillery attacks and consolidate forces.
Many countries are willing to support
On June 20, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Seoul pledged to extend $7.8 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan. South Korean Ambassador to Geneva Yun Seong-deok affirmed: "Our government plans to cooperate closely with relevant parties in the international community to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Sudan."
Meanwhile, according to a statement from the Australian Foreign Minister’s office, the Government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will provide an additional AUD 4.45 million to help Sudan respond to the worsening humanitarian crisis. The money will be used to provide emergency food, water and medical supplies to the Sudanese people through the International Committee of the Red Cross. The additional funding was announced by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to support the response to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the region.
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