France, Germany and EU mark anniversary of Sudan war with funding push

Paris: Top diplomats from France, Germany and the European Union were set to push for more funding for Sudan on Monday at a meeting in Paris to mark the first anniversary of a war that commands far less global attention that those in the Middle East or Ukraine.

The United States, hoping the Paris conference could loosen purse strings elsewhere, planned to announce an additional $100 million in aid, Reuters reported on Sunday.

At Monday's meeting, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné was to be joined by his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell and EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič.

French President Emmanuel Macron was scheduled to meet Borrell and Lenarčič at the end of the conference, according to the EU's external action office.

The war in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It has devastated infrastructure, prompted warnings of famine and displaced millions of people inside and outside Sudan.

Thousands of civilians have been killed, although death toll estimates are highly uncertain, and each side has been accused of committing war crimes. Both sides have largely denied the accusations against them.

The World Health Organization said on Friday that the crisis could worsen in the coming months as the distribution of humanitarian aid and medical supplies remains restricted.

Last week, US Special Envoy Tom Perriello called the international response so far "pitiful".

"We're at 5 per cent of the needed amount," he said, adding that the US had already committed over a billion dollars in humanitarian relief to the conflict.