Germany is hosting an aid conference for Sudan to address the humanitarian situation
The German Foreign Ministry announced on Friday its plans to host a high-level international conference next spring, specifically in April, aimed at mobilizing international support and raising emergency aid for Sudan . This initiative comes in response to the unprecedentedly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country and seeks to highlight the ongoing suffering of civilians.
This conference is particularly significant as it coincides with the third anniversary of the outbreak of war and marks nearly a thousand days since the start of military operations that have destabilized the country. The ongoing fighting between Sudanese government forces (the army) and the Rapid Support Forces has destroyed the country's infrastructure, amid documented international reports of widespread atrocities, including mass killings, systematic starvation, and grave human rights violations.
Background of the conflict and its impact on the region
The roots of the current crisis can be traced back to mid-April 2023, when political tensions escalated into open armed conflict in Khartoum and other cities, leading to one of the world's largest waves of displacement. The impact of this conflict was not limited to Sudan; it also placed immense pressure on neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan, which received hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the horrors of war.
The world's biggest humanitarian crisis
In a statement reflecting the scale of the tragedy, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said: “The world is marking a sad anniversary today: 1,000 days of war in Sudan. Many people are still suffering and dying there; they are victims of hunger, thirst, displacement, and rape.” She emphasized that the planned conference, coinciding with the anniversary of the war's outbreak in April, would serve as a global appeal for help.
The spokeswoman added, describing the situation as “the world’s largest humanitarian crisis,” noting that the conflict has already plunged millions of civilians into extreme poverty, killed tens of thousands, and caused the collapse of the health system in most states, exacerbating the risk of epidemics and diseases.
International efforts and peace initiatives
The German move comes as a continuation of a series of international efforts to contain the crisis, with previous conferences held to provide support to Sudan, most notably the Paris Conference in 2024 and the London Conference in 2025. Despite these efforts, the funding gap remains large compared to the enormous needs on the ground.
Berlin reaffirmed its full commitment to the Sudanese issue, with the Foreign Ministry stating that “Germany is doing everything in its power, politically and humanely, to help the people on the ground and to put an end to the fighting.” This comes at a time when repeated international calls for a ceasefire have failed to achieve a real breakthrough to end the fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, with both sides exchanging accusations of war crimes, while civilians bear the brunt of this ongoing conflict.
