Countries pledge $1.5bn for Sudan crisis as war enters fourth year

Antonio Guterres calls for end to ‘nightmare’ war as Khartoum rejects international conference as ‘colonial tutelage approach’.Donors have pledged 1.3 billion euros ($1.5bn) for humanitarian aid in Sudan as international leaders met in Berlin on the third anniversary of its devastating civil war.“This nightmare must end,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday, calling the anniversary “a tragic milestone in a conflict that has shattered a country of immense promise”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4The Take: Who is keeping the fight alive in Sudan’s war?list 2 of 4Photos: Families across Sudan endure years of displacement, hunger, losslist 3 of 4Every 27 minutes, someone is killed in Sudan’s warlist 4 of 4‘Erosion of a country’s future’: What has the war cost Sudan?end of list“The consequences are not confined to Sudan. They are destabilising the wider region,” he told the gathering in a video message.Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since April 2023 when fighting erupted between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after a long-simmering power struggle.Nearly 34 million people inside Sudan need humanitarian assistance, and more than 4.5 million have been forced to flee their homes, Guterres said.Guterres also said women and girls have been terrorised and systematic sexual violence has prevailed.The conference drew about a dozen foreign ministers and more than 60 delegations. As well as rallying donors, the meeting aimed to help revive faltering negotiations to end the fighting, but the two sides fighting the war were excluded.‘Colonial approach’Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised the meeting as a “colonial tutelage approach”, criticising Western leaders for not consulting or coordinating with Khartoum. The ministry said the West was trying to impose its agenda and vision.The ministry said it “will not accept that countries and regional and international organisations convene to decide on its affairs and bypass the Sudanese government under the pretext of neutrality”.