Donors pledge 1.5 billion euros in aid for Sudan as war enters fourth year

Berlin - Donor countries pledged nearly $1.7 billion in humanitarian aid for Sudan at an international conference in Berlin on Wednesday, as the country's catastrophic civil war entered its fourth year.

"This nightmare must end," U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said in a video message to the gathering, hosted by Germany together with the U.S., the U.K., France, the European Union and the African Union.

Many participants at the conference - the third on Sudan after earlier meetings in Paris and London - called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as a first step towards a broader peace process.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the pledges would help "alleviate somewhat the suffering of people in Sudan" and save lives, while showing that "this conflict has not been forgotten."

Germany announced additional aid of more than 230 million euros, including $212 million from the Foreign Office and 20 million euros from the development ministry, positioning itself among the largest humanitarian donors to Sudan. Wadephul called on governments, organizations and private-sector actors to increase contributions.

"Let us join forces so that humanitarian aid and humanitarian diplomacy can save lives," he said.

U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described the situation as a test for the international community and called for a clear vision for Sudan's future.

"If we're having a fourth conference where we issue more words, more statements, then we will continue to fail the people of Sudan," he said.Fletcher described Sudan as a "laboratory of atrocities," citing widespread violence, including sexual violence against women and girls, drone attacks and growing humanitarian neglect.According to the U.N., around 34 million people in Sudan require aid, 19 million face hunger and 10 million children are out of school. A U.N. plan aims to assist 14 million people but requires $2.2 billion in funding.

Calls for ceasefire

U.N. envoy Pekka Haavisto and U.S. adviser Massad Boulos both called for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid deliveries and begin a political transition.

A ceasefire would enable humanitarian organisations to "get the aid to people, ordinary people in Sudan," Haavisto said, while also halting the use of "very disturbing weapons, like drones."Boulos said a truce should include the withdrawal of armed forces from cities such as El Fasher in North Darfur, where intense fighting and reported massacres have taken place.

Carl Skau of the World Food Programme criticised what he described as a global failure by the international powers.

"It failed to prevent the outbreak of this terrible war, and it has failed to protect civilians throughout including women and children," he said, speaking about his impressions during a visit to the Darfur region in recent days.

He warned that aid agencies lacked sufficient funding, adding: "Currently, the WFP can't even afford full rations for people in famine-affected areas."

War goes into fourth year

Sudan's civil war began on April 15, 2023, and has since become what the U.N. describes as the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

The conflict pits the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

More than 11.6 million people have been displaced in Sudan and neighbouring countries, while roughly half the population faces hunger.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 6:42 PM.