An international conference rallies aid for Sudan after 2 years of civil war, but peace is elusive

LONDON (AP) — Britain and the European Union pledged hundreds of millions of dollars Tuesday to ease suffering in Sudan, on the second anniversary of a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 14 million and pushed large parts of the country into famine.

But a conference in London failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough to end what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The African Union, which co-hosted the conference with Britain, France, Germany and the EU, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. But U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy acknowledged that achieving peace would take time, renewed international effort and “patient diplomacy.”

Diplomats expressed hope before the meeting of forming an international group to try to spearhead talks on ending the war. But the conference produced no communique signed by all members, just a final statement from the host countries and organizations.

The statement made no mention of any coordinating group, but said that “neighboring states are directly affected by the conflict in Sudan and those present supported efforts to find a solution.”

The conference hosts said participants had committed more than 813 million pounds (more than $1 billion) for Sudan and its neighbors this year. That includes 522 million euros ($590 million) from the EU and its member states and 120 million pounds ($158 million) from the U.K.

Avaaz, a group that campaigns against conflict and poverty, said the conference had been “a damp squib.”

“David Lammy promised Sudan would not be forgotten. Today was a test of that commitment — and of the foreign secretary he intends to be, especially in the absence of U.S. leadership. He failed dismally,” said Will Davies, head of Avaaz’s Sudan team.

Attendees included officials from Western nations, international institutions and neighboring countries, but no one from Sudan. Neither the Sudanese military nor the rival paramilitary it is fighting was invited.

Sudan plunged into war on April 15, 2023, after simmering tensions between the Sudanese military and a paramilitary organization known as the Rapid Support Forces. Fighting broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread across the country, killing at least 20,000 people, though the number is likely far higher.

Last month the Sudanese military regained control over Khartoum, a major symbolic victory in the war. But the RSF still controls most of the western region of Darfur and some other areas.

More than 300 civilians were killed in a burst of fighting in Darfur on Friday and Saturday, according to the U.N.

More than 3 million people have fled to neighboring countries including Chad and Egypt. Both sides in the war have been accused of committing war crimes.

The World Food Program says nearly 25 million people — half of Sudan’s population — face extreme hunger.

Aid agency Oxfam said the humanitarian catastrophe risks becoming a regional crisis, with fighting spilling into neighboring countries. It said that in South Sudan, itself wracked by recent war, the arrival of refugees has put more pressure on already scarce resources, “which is deepening local tensions and threatening the fragile peace.”

Lammy told delegates that “many have given up on Sudan,” concluding that continued conflict is inevitable. He said a lack of political will is the biggest obstacle to peace.

The U.K. and other Western countries have limited power to stop the fighting. More influence rests with regional powers such as Egypt, which has longstanding ties to the Sudanese army, and the United Arab Emirates, which has been accused of arming the RSF. The UAE has has denied that, despite evidence to the contrary.

Sudan’s government criticized conference organizers for excluding it from the meeting while inviting the UAE.

Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE foreign ministry’s assistant minister for political affairs, said both sides were committing atrocities, and urged combatants to “halt the deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers and the indiscriminate shelling of schools, markets, and hospitals.”

The U.S.was represented at the conference, though the Trump administration has cut almost all overseas aid programs. Britain also has cut its aid budget from 0.5% of gross domestic product to 0.3% to fund an increase in military spending. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said Sudan, along with Ukraine and Gaza, will remain a priority for British aid.

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Associated Press writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.