<\/p>\n
Tensions across the Middle East remain high, with Israeli military operations continuing in Lebanon despite direct talks between the two governments held in Washington on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At the Third International Conference for Sudan, co\u2011hosted by Germany, the African Union, the European Union, France and the United Kingdom, participating countries pledged more than $1\u202fbillion in assistance, according to organisers. The meeting aimed to sustain international engagement and funding as Sudan faces the world\u2019s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Senior United Nations (UN) officials delivered stark warnings about the scale of suffering. UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher described Sudan as \u201can atrocities laboratory,\u201d citing the sieges of cities such as El Fasher in Darfur, the denial of food, widespread sexual violence and the targeting of schools and hospitals.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDrones have killed 700 people just this year, and 130 humanitarians have been killed over three years,\u201d Fletcher said, adding that he often has to speak to grieving families of aid workers who lost their lives.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The conflict, which erupted three years ago between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has devastated the country. Around 34\u202fmillion people, roughly two\u2011thirds of Sudan\u2019s population, now require humanitarian assistance. Nearly 14\u202fmillion people are displaced, 19\u202fmillion face hunger, and about 10\u202fmillion children are out of school.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fletcher warned that the crisis is being compounded by wider regional instability. He said the war in the Middle East has pushed up food, fuel and freight costs, with shipping rates rising by about 25\u202fper cent. Sudan, he noted, relies on the Gulf region for about half of its fertiliser supplies, just as the main planting season approaches.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The UN and its partners are seeking $2.2\u202fbillion this year to assist 14\u202fmillion people inside Sudan, part of a broader response targeting 20\u202fmillion. Fletcher stressed the need to keep key humanitarian access routes open, including the Adr\u00e9 border crossing from eastern Chad, and to expand access into Darfur, the Kordofans and Blue Nile state.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In a video message, UN Secretary\u2011General Ant\u00f3nio\u202fGuterres thanked the international community for its renewed solidarity but warned that funding alone cannot end the war.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThis nightmare must end,\u201d he said. \u201cAn immediate cessation of hostilities is essential, along with an end to external interference and weapons flows, and a credible path toward an inclusive, civilian\u2011led political process.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker\u202fT\u00fcrk underlined the need for accountability, saying ending impunity is central to stopping the violence. He urged full compliance with the Darfur arms embargo, an end to weapons transfers and referral of the situation in Sudan to the International Criminal Court.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite the pledges, officials warned that without urgent political action, the humanitarian catastrophe will continue to deepen.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":32059,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[78,26],"class_list":["post-32058","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Foreign ministers and senior officials from around the world met in Berlin on Wednesday to mobilise support for Sudan, where a fourth year of brutal conflict has begun amid deepening humanitarian needs.","published_date":"","news_description":"Foreign ministers and senior officials from around the world met in Berlin on Wednesday to mobilise support for Sudan, where a fourth year of brutal conflict has begun amid deepening humanitarian needs.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/32058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/32058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32067,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/32058\/revisions\/32067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=32058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}