The International Sudan Conference in Berlin on 15 April is intended to put the war in Sudan back at the top of the diplomatic agenda. Several United Nations representatives are expected to attend, including UN Humanitarian Chief (OCHA) Tom Fletcher. The meeting is being hosted by Germany, the African Union, the European Union, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Sudan: The world’s worst humanitarian crisis
The Berlin gathering comes three years after war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, turning Sudan into what the UN has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Organisers hope the meeting will do more than repeat earlier pledging conferences in Paris and London by combining humanitarian diplomacy with a stronger focus on Sudanese civilian voices.
A vast shortfall in aid
At the centre of the conference is a familiar problem: a vast shortfall in aid. Last year’s humanitarian response for Sudan was funded at only about 40 percent, leaving a gap of roughly €2.2 billion, while millions went without assistance. Aid groups say more than 33 million people now need help, and the pressure on donors has only increased as budget cuts in many countries have narrowed the global humanitarian envelope.
New approach: Giving greater weight to Sudanese civilian actors
Berlin is also trying to introduce something politically new. Rather than framing the meeting as a peace conference, German organisers and analysts have stressed that it is a forum to strengthen humanitarian action and give greater weight to Sudanese civilian actors who want a civilian-led transition. Around 40 Sudanese representatives are expected to take part in that civilian component, which many see as the conference’s most important innovation.
Whether the conference produces a breakthrough is uncertain. But with Sudan’s war grinding on, displacement spreading across the region, and civilian suffering deepening, Berlin has become an important test of whether major powers and multilateral institutions are prepared to match concern with money, coordination and sustained political will.