France, Germany & EU Mark Anniversary of Sudan War with Funding Push

PARIS (Reuters) - Top diplomats from France, Germany and the European Union will push for more funding for Sudan on Monday 15 April 2024, when they meet in Paris to mark the first anniversary of the conflict erupting.

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné will be joined by his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell and the EU's Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič at the Paris get-together.

French President Emmanuel Macron will 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 15 April 2023, between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), devastating the country's infrastructure, prompting warnings of famine and displacing millions of people inside and outside the country.

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

The World Health Organization said on Friday 12 April 2024 that the crisis could worsen in the coming months as the distribution of humanitarian aid and medical supplies remains restricted.

The US government hopes the Paris conference can loosen the purse strings, and is committing more than $100 million in additional funding for Sudan relief efforts, Special Envoy Tom Perriello said this week.

"The international response has been pitiful. We're at 5% of the needed amount," said Perriello, adding that the US has already committed over a billion dollars in humanitarian relief to the conflict.