'Worst child displacement crisis in the world': German minister speaks out about Sudan's children
Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, spoke about the children of Sudan during today’s conference.
“What we are witnessing in Sudan is the worst child displacement crisis in the world,” she said.
And yet, she said, “in many of our countries, as the war enters in its second year, it is practically absent from our daily news.”
“Every life counts equally, whether in Ukraine, in Gaza, or in Sudan,” the minister said.
“The international community has to provide more for the people of Sudan, for the children of Sudan,” she said, noting that Germany will provide 244 million euros in bilateral assistance for Sudan on top of its EU support.
From left: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, France’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Stephane Sejourne and EU commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic. Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images
Senior officials gathered in Paris for an international humanitarian conference on Sudan, co-organised by France, Germany and the European Union.
Stéphane Séjourné, the French foreign minister, expressed his solidarity with the Sudanese people and conveyed a sense of urgency to mobilise the international community and provide more financing for humanitarian assistance.
Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, said “what we are witnessing in Sudan is the worst child displacement crisis in the world.”
Janez Lenarčič, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, said “the first thing that we have to do is to make sure that Sudan is not forgotten.”
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has said the war in Sudan “has triggered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world” and “we must put an end to this man-made disaster.”
He also presented a five-point list of priorities, including reaching a humanitarian truce.
The UK imposed new sanctions on businesses linked with financing Sudan’s warring parties.
Canada announced sanctions on six individuals and entities for directly or indirectly undermining peace, security and stability in Sudan.
Arif Noor, country director of Save the Children in Sudan, said “enough sitting on the fence. Children and families in Sudan need leaders to commit to more funding today.”
Laetitia Bader,Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said that the “donors meeting in Paris on Sudan need to fund the shamefully under-supported humanitarian response including finding innovative ways to support local responders.”
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced that donors have pledged over 2 billion euros for Sudan.
More than €2bn committed for Sudan, Macron announces
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, announced at the end of today’s conference that more than 2 billion euros will be mobilised for aiding Sudanese people.
EN DIRECT |Clôture de la Conférence humanitaire internationale pour le Soudan et les pays voisins : le discours du Président @EmmanuelMacron. https://t.co/T9vfNyCZgU
“In the first 105 days of 2024, the amount of money raised for the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is less than a fifth of what was pledged in just two days to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” Save the Children said today.
Arif Noor, country director of Save the Children in Sudan, said that “it is staggering that after a fire in which nobody died, donors from across the world were so moved to pledge funds to restore Notre Dame cathedral. Meanwhile, children in Sudan are left to fend for themselves as war rages around them, starvation and disease are on the increase and almost the entire country’s child population has been out of school for a year.”
“There has been limited to no collective global effort to protect children in Sudan – and now we are faced with the stark reality that people care more about a building than 14 million children. Enough sitting on the fence. Children and families in Sudan need leaders to commit to more funding today,” he added.
Mohammed Qazilbash, country director for Plan International Sudan, warned today that “there are now more forcibly displaced children from Sudan than any other country and this number is growing every day.”
“ These children are losing their families, they increasingly can’t access food and water and they haven’t been able to go to school for a year,” he said.
He added:
As the situation continues to deteriorate, we are urgently calling for an immediate end to hostilities across Sudan, greater financial support to address the huge level of needs in the region and a commitment by the international community for immediate and long-term support to collectively build a better future for Sudan. After a year of conflict and disaster, we cannot let Sudan become another forgotten emergency.”
Mélanie Joly, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, announced today that the country is introducing new sanctions in response to the conflict in Sudan.
“Canada is imposing sanctions on six individuals and entities for directly or indirectly undermining peace, security and stability in Sudan. Those sanctioned are associated with the SAF or RSF, the main parties to the ongoing conflict,” Canada’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
'Worst child displacement crisis in the world': German minister speaks out about Sudan's children
Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, spoke about the children of Sudan during today’s conference.
“What we are witnessing in Sudan is the worst child displacement crisis in the world,” she said.
And yet, she said, “in many of our countries, as the war enters in its second year, it is practically absent from our daily news.”
“Every life counts equally, whether in Ukraine, in Gaza, or in Sudan,” the minister said.
“The international community has to provide more for the people of Sudan, for the children of Sudan,” she said, noting that Germany will provide 244 million euros in bilateral assistance for Sudan on top of its EU support.
From left: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, France’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Stephane Sejourne and EU commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic. Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has presented five points at the Paris conference.
These include pushing the warring parties to commit to a cessation of hostilities to create a lasting peace, reaching a humanitarian truce to allow aid workers to operate without limitations and strengthening coordination on mediation.
Conférence de Paris sur le Soudan co-présidée avec @steph_sejourne@ABaerbock@JanezLenarcic. Le Soudan est plongé dans le chaos depuis 1 an, l’urgence humanitaire est absolue. Accroitre la pression internationale sur les belligérants est crucial.
“The blockage of aid by the Sudanese authorities to some areas has resulted in restricted humanitarian access, exacerbating the crisis for people in dire need of healthcare,” Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said today of the situation in Sudan.
“We urge the warring parties to allow humanitarian aid and access, and for the UN and organisations to immediately scale up their response,” the organisation said.
Today marks one year since conflict engulfed Sudan, leaving millions suffering amidst relentless fighting. The blockage of aid by the Sudanese authorities to some areas has resulted in restricted humanitarian access, exacerbating the crisis for people in dire need of healthcare.… pic.twitter.com/txxgMStMxm
On the sidelines of today’s conference, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, CEO of NGO Mercy Corps, told reporters that “Sudan is out of time”.
“The people of Sudan are on the brink of famine, 25 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. 9 million people are displaced internally or in neighboring countries. Enough is enough,” McKenna said.
“We need more funds, we need mediation to resolve the crisis. We need an urgent call for humanitarian organisations to work safely, to access the people,” she added.
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephane Sejourne, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell attend a meeting with officials as part of an International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighbouring Countries at the Quai d'Orsay Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/EPA
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephane Sejourne (2-L), German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (L), and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (R) welcome the Algerian diplomat who has been serving as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' Personal Envoy for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra, before a meeting with officials as part of an International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighbouring Countries at the Quai d'Orsay. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/EPA
Cory Booker, a US senator from New Jersey, said “there are so many crises in the world that demand our attention, but the crisis in Sudan must not suffer from our indifference.”
“We have the power to save lives and help those suffering,” he stressed.
A civil war in Sudan that started one year ago has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people.
In March, I led a Congressional delegation to the Chad - Sudan border and visited a large and growing refugee camp. We witnessed the enormity of the crisis… pic.twitter.com/SkNUZfUhUB
'Stop wishfully thinking', Human Rights Watch says, calling for action on Sudan
Laetitia Bader,Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said today that the “donors meeting in Paris on Sudan need to fund the shamefully under-supported humanitarian response including finding innovative ways to support local responders.”
“They also need to stop wishfully thinking that the two warring parties are going to start without pressure to respect basic international standards,” she said. “Global leaders need to act to ensure consequences for the parties’ unlawful actions.”
In a joint statement, Norway’s minister of international development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, and minister of foreign affairs, Espen Barth Eide, warned today that “the very existence of the Sudanese state is in danger; the social fabric is crumbling.”
“We are appalled by the extreme human suffering,” they said.
“There is no military solution to this conflict. The only way to achieve a sustainable peace is through a representative and inclusive Sudanese process built on democratic principles,” the Norwegian ministers said.
'Under-funding': Caritas International calls for aid to Sudan despite focus on other conflicts
In a statement today, NGO Caritas International urged the international community “not to abandon the people of Sudan, despite the focus on conflicts elsewhere.”
While there are many positive grassroots efforts to support, including peacebuilding initiatives by religious and traditional leaders and financial provision flowing from the Sudanese diaspora, we appeal urgently for much greater international humanitarian support to mitigate the enormity of the suffering of the people.
Comparing the vast scale of need and the under-funding of the response compared to other major crises, the Pledging Conference must unlock new and additional resources, and prioritise working through diaspora and partnership-based agencies that can get these to local frontline responders.
We also call for much more assertive and coordinated international engagement in seeking increased humanitarian access (including facilitation of cross-border operations from Chad and South Sudan), diplomatic solutions to achieve an urgent ceasefire, and an end to a conflict that has now created the world’s largest hunger crisis in 2024.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, said today that “there’s still time to avert the worst” but that what is needed is humanitarian access, humanitarian corridors, an end to attacks on health and funding to meet the vast health needs.
Every second person in #Sudan is in need of humanitarian assistance. There’s still time to avert the worst but we need: - humanitarian access across borders, and humanitarian corridors; - attacks on health to end; - funding to meet the vast health needs.https://t.co/QPBS9xDKSv
Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-British telecoms billionaire and campaigner, said in a statement today that “the world is facing many challenges, but we must ensure that the people of Sudan are not forgotten. Events in Ukraine and now Gaza have captured the attention of the world, while Sudan’s collapse has become just another far-away war.”
“The international community must meet its responsibility to the men, women and children of Sudan and ensure that the critical aid shortfall, including in food aid, is urgently addressed,” he said, adding that “the friends of Sudan engaged in trying to bring this conflict to a close must redouble their efforts.”
