Conference for Sudan : urgent need for action

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been plunged into civil war. At least 14,000 people have been killed – a figure that is almost certainly underestimated – and tens of thousands wounded. 25 million people – half the population – are in need of humanitarian assistance. Nearly 9 million people have already fled their homes as a result of the conflict, 1.8 million of whom have taken refuge in neighbouring countries. There are countless chilling accounts from displaced men, women and children of the appalling violence they have had to endure. Finally, far from being resolved, the conflict is sinking deeper and deeper into crisis, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of Sudanese.

An international conference to ring the alarm

At the initiative of France, Germany and the European Union, an International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and neighboring countries was held in Paris on April 15, 2024. Bringing together 58 states, including countries from the region and donor countries, as well as the main regional organizations and the heads of several United Nations agencies, it raised only half of the $4.01 billion requested by the United Nations: $1.4 billion for a regional refugee response plan to help 2.7 million people in five neighboring countries, and $2.7 billion for a national humanitarian response plan targeting 14.7 million people in Sudan itself – a figure to be set against the 25 million people in need of aid.

This conference comes after months of apathy and silence from the international community. At a time when more and more people are facing hunger, disease and forced displacement, and when the economy and basic services have collapsed, the humanitarian response plan has hitherto received only 5% funding. In this respect, the Conference is a welcome but belated wake-up call.

NGOs mobilize to counter looming famine

Local and international NGOs, including Solidarités International, were invited as witnesses and direct players in the aid effort in Sudan and neighboring countries, and were able to stress the absolute necessity of speeding up financial commitments to avert a famine situation that unfortunately seems increasingly unavoidable, and which we must contain with all our might.

Indeed, the destruction of agricultural infrastructures, rising food prices and the impossibility of cultivating land due to the fighting mean that the lean season, from June to September, will be extremely difficult for the population. What’s more, the rainy season, which coincides with the lean season, will make many roads impassable due to flooding, limiting the delivery of aid. Already, an estimated 17.7 million people – more than the current population of the Netherlands – are facing high levels of acute food insecurity.

This crisis requires additional and immediately available resources. We need to increase the volume of emergency aid, but also pre-position massive food reserves in anticipation of the rainy season, deploy capacities to treat acute malnutrition, and ensure access to water and hygiene to prevent the water-borne diseases that accompany hunger from also wreaking havoc.

Furthermore, while emergency aid is vital, it cannot be the only response. Donors must also reinvest massively in longer-term aid for the region, to strengthen the resilience of communities hosting people fleeing conflict. Local food systems, put under even greater pressure by this protracted crisis, must also be widely supported.

Humanitarian aid extremely difficult to deliver

Through our speeches, we have also been able to underline how access to populations in need of aid remains extremely laborious in Sudan. Firstly, because of the prevailing security instability: aid delivery is possible but dangerous, and the safety of our humanitarian colleagues is not sufficiently guaranteed. Secondly, deteriorating infrastructure and limited access to conflict zones considerably increase the cost of transporting personnel and equipment. High inflation, currency depreciation and supply chain disruptions also contribute to the rising cost of essential goods, putting further pressure on our already limited resources. Finally, we face too many bureaucratic obstacles, from visa restrictions to an insufficient number of border crossings.

An effort to be maintained

Two points in conclusion. Firstly, while the many statements made by government representatives were encouraging, global efforts must continue after the conference. Our task will be to ensure that the funding announced materializes very quickly, and that it is additional to previous commitments. Let’s not forget the domino effect of this crisis: instability in Sudan threatens the entire region, and in particular already fragile countries facing their own humanitarian and economic challenges – Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. This is why a more coordinated international response is needed at regional level.

Secondly, while securing funding to get aid to the people as quickly as possible is crucial, it is not enough. It must be repeated again and again: all players in the conflict must respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and humanitarian workers. And we need diplomatic pressure from all stakeholders to achieve this. In the meantime, we await a peace agreement that will finally enable us to break the vicious cycle of violence in which Sudan is currently locked.

 

Click here to access the YouTube replay of the Conference and listen to Kevin Goldberg’s speech.

You will find here the official press release from the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs on the Conference.

 

Kevin Goldberg
Chief Executive Officer, Solidarités International 

Resolutely focused on the general interest and improving the living conditions of the most disadvantaged populations, Kevin Goldberg began his career working with members of parliament and local elected representatives, first in Brussels and then in Paris. In 2013, he joined the Cabinet of the Chairman of the Management Board of GROUPE SOS, a major player in social cohesion in France and worldwide, as Head of Development and Partnerships. In 2017, he became head of the Group’s international sector, where he and his teams developed projects on the themes of access to primary healthcare in the Sahel, the protection of forest cover in Southeast Asia, and the development of social entrepreneurship in southern Africa, the Maghreb and the Balkans. In January 2021, Kevin will join the humanitarian NGO SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL as CEO, whose 3,000 employees work in over 25 countries facing the most severe crises. A graduate of Sciences Po Grenoble, the College of Europe and Université Paris Dauphine-PSL, Kevin is also a member of the Board of Coordination SUD.