Donors have pledged nearly $1.5 billion in aid for the humanitarian aid in Sudan and the neighbouring countries hosting refugees, the United Nations has announced.
Speaking at the end of a pledging conference co-hosted by Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the African Union in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, said the funds will benefit victims of the ongoing war in Sudan.
"Today, donors have announced close to $1.5 billion for the humanitarian response to Sudan and the region," Griffiths announced.
A record 25 million people, more than half of Sudan's population, are in need of aid according to the UN.
"The scale and speed of Sudan's descent into death and destruction is unprecedented," the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres warned during the Monday conference.
"Without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become a locus of lawlessness, radiating insecurity across the region," he added.
According to the UN, some $3 billion is needed to address the humanitarian needs and the refugee crisis arising from the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Following UN's financial aid appeal for Ukraine as a result of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, funds were raised within weeks, but the quick international response has not been replicated in the case of Sudan, more than eight weeks into the fighting.
The UN is worried that the crisis could spill over and destabilise neighbouring African countries.
Since April 15, the Sudanese army has been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after the two fell out in a power struggle.
The death toll has surpassed 2,000, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project said.
The conflict has decimated the country's fragile infrastructure and sparked ethnic violence in the western Darfur region.
The capital, Khartoum, a city that had some 5.4 million people before the war, is another conflict hotspot, which has seen hundreds of thousands of people fleeing to safer regions.
The United States, Germany and Qatar have collectively pledged $440 million in aid, while the UN has promised $22 million to help the victims of Sudanese conflict.
