Sudan Slams Berlin Donor Conference as War Enters Fourth Year, Deepening World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
As Sudan’s brutal civil war marks its fourth year, the government has sharply criticized a major international donor conference in Berlin, calling it “unacceptable interference.” The gathering, hosted by Germany on Wednesday, aims to secure over €1 billion in aid and revive stalled peace efforts—but Khartoum insists it was organized without its input, warning that engaging paramilitary groups undermines national sovereignty.
A Nation on the Brink
The conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has unleashed what German Chancellor Friedrich Merz describes as “the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time”—one that rarely makes global headlines.
- 25,000+ dead since fighting began in April 2021
- 11 million displaced, with 1.7 million recently returning to a shattered Khartoum
- 18 million facing acute hunger, including famine zones in Darfur and South Kordofan
- 700 civilians killed in drone strikes since January alone, per UN reports
“People are exhausted,” said Amgad Ahmed, 42, from Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city. “Three years of war have worn us down. We’ve lost work, savings, and any sense of stability.”
Diplomatic Failures and Regional Meddling
The Berlin conference excludes both warring factions, focusing instead on governments, NGOs, and UN agencies. Similar meetings in Paris and London failed to broker peace, and Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has accused mediating nations—including the UAE—of bias.
Foreign powers are deeply entangled:
- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey back the Sudanese military
- The UAE is accused of arming the RSF, though it denies involvement
“The chances of peace are very slim as long as external actors fuel this war,” said Luca Renda of the UN Development Programme. Humanitarian funding remains at just 16% of what’s needed, leaving millions without food, medicine, or safe shelter.
Fragile Signs of Normalcy Amid Ruins
In Khartoum, a tentative recovery is underway. Markets have reopened, traffic trickles through scarred streets, and schools recently held national exams after two years of closures. Yet dangers persist—thousands of unexploded bombs litter the city, and returnees face devastation.
“I was happy to come back,” said Al-Basheer Babker al-Basheer, 41. “But the city center is heartbreaking. The walls are black. Nothing is the same.”
A Glimmer of Hope?
African Union Commission Chair Mahamoud Ali Youssouf praised Germany for keeping Sudan’s crisis on the global agenda but admitted, “We are not there yet” in achieving a ceasefire. With the world distracted by Ukraine and the Middle East, Sudan’s suffering risks fading further into obscurity—even as its people endure unparalleled hardship.
— Reported by Nexio News
