Berlin hosts Sudan Conference: a brutal, forgotten conflict

Over the past three years, the most severe humanitarian catastrophe in the world has been unfolding in Sudan — largely unnoticed by the global community. Rival factions of the country's ruling military are engaged in bitter fighting, with around 150,000 people lost in the conflict so far. Approximately twelve million Sudanese have been forced to flee, nearly a quarter of the country's population. Meanwhile, more than 33 million people within the country — about two-thirds of the population — are dependent on aid.

The subject of the conference that got underway in Berlin this Wednesday is the plight of the people of this East African nation. Representatives from the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and the African Union — which comprises 55 countries on the continent — gathered at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. Their main goal is to secure additional funds to support the Sudanese population and to ensure that the conflict is not overshadowed by the many other global crises.

Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, a diplomat from Djibouti and also Chairperson of the African Union, held a brief meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday. Speaking about Sudan, Merz said: "Over 20 million people there are currently facing starvation. That is nearly half the country's population. Germany is one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid. That is why we also support all efforts by the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to secure a ceasefire there."

Focus on financial pledges for Sudan

But Merz is also well aware that the chances of a ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are exceedingly slim. Notably, representatives of the two conflicting parties are not even present in Berlin. A year ago, a similar conference held in London ended without results, as did the one in Paris in 2024. That is why financial pledges for the starving population have become the main focus of the conference in Berlin.

While Ali Youssouf also highlighted the urgent need for a ceasefire in Sudan, he noted that it is currently even more important to draw greater global attention to the suffering of the people living there: "When the whole world is focusing on Iran and Ukraine and other crises, I think it is very much appreciated that Germany puts this agenda on the table, so that we do not lose sight of the suffering of the people of Sudan."

Donations from donor countries are declining

In 2024, global donor countries collectively donated $2.07 billion (€1.91 billion) to supply the people of Sudan with basic necessities. By 2025, that figure had dropped to just $1.77 billion, which experts estimate covered only about 40% of actual needs.

One reason for the sharp decline in aid has been US President Donald Trump's significant cuts to aid, as well as a shift among wealthy Western nations toward focusing more on the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine. At the Sudan conference in London just one year ago, pledges totaling around one billion euros were secured. According to German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, a similar amount of aid can be expected in Berlin.

€20 million more in support from Germany

German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan plans to increase German aid for those in need by €20 million. And she is focusing primarily on women.

In a press release issued before the conference, the minister wrote: "While many men are absent due to the war, women are taking care of their families and providing for them. Germany's development cooperation supports the Sudanese population, as well as refugees in host communities in neighboring countries, thereby laying the groundwork for a peaceful future in Sudan." In total, all German funding for Sudan now amounts to €232 million.

A forgotten conflict — because few refugees are coming

But Sudan is far from a peaceful future. Experts fear that the conflict could soon spread to neighboring countries such as Chad. Conditions within the country itself are unspeakable.

At the conference, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper pointed out that rape is repeatedly used as a weapon of war. Almost on an industrial scale, she emphasized. Cooper announced that the UK would provide funding for Sudan amounting to the equivalent of around €168 million for 2026.

Drones from abroad are exacerbating the conflict

Three and a half years ago, Volker Türk began to serve as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Speaking to DW at the Berlin conference, the Austrian lawyer said that the situation in Sudan is being further fueled by large-scale arms shipments to the warring parties from many countries: "Not a single weapon is being produced in Sudan. The most modern weapons systems are now coming into Sudan; we've just seen this with drones. Since the beginning of the year, my office has documented 700 civilian deaths resulting from drone attacks."

So why is this brutal conflict still so often ignored? Thorsten Klose-Zuber, Secretary General of the non-governmental organization "Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe," told the Catholic News Agency (KNA) on Wednesday that this is partly because so few refugees from the country have made it to Europe. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), only about 14,000 refugees from Sudan were counted in Europe in 2025. This is significantly fewer than, for example, from Syria. Public awareness is correspondingly low, despite all the appeals made at conferences such as the one in Berlin.

This article was originally published in German.