Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi, the UAE’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organisations, told the Berlin talks that civilians \u201ccontinue to bear the brunt of the conflict\u201d. <\/p>\n
He said an immediate truce was needed in order to increase assistance. \u201cHumanitarian assistance must reach civilians wherever they are through all available means and routes, without discrimination,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the meeting should provide a \u201cmoment of hope\u201d for the Sudanese people. He later said participants had \u201cmade pledges to the total amount of more than \u20ac1.3 billion ($1.53 billion) in a world of shrinking humanitarian means\u201d. <\/p>\n
The meeting heard the Iran war was worsening matters. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said freight costs were up 25 per cent, while Sudan relies on troubled Gulf exports for half of its fertiliser supply. <\/p>\n
Massad Boulos, senior adviser \u200bfor Arab and African affairs to US President Donald Trump<\/a>, said the Sudanese people had \u201cendured unimaginable hardship for far too long\u201d. The anniversary \u201cmust be more than a commemoration, it must be a turning point\u201d, he said. <\/p>\n The fighting began in April 2023 when tension between the two generals broke into open conflict. The confrontation followed weeks of mounting disputes over plans to integrate the RSF<\/a> into the regular army as part of a stalled transition to civilian rule, quickly spiralling into a nationwide war.<\/p>\n Play Sudan’s devastating civil war passes three-year point<\/p>\n Speaking before the start of the meeting, Mr Wadephul said: \u201cWe want to achieve more than at the last conference in London, that was a billion dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems to be working,\u201d he told the Deutschlandfunk broadcaster, adding: \u201cThere are more pledges coming in now, we are working on this.\u201d<\/p>\n Germany<\/a> \u200bwill \u200bprovide an additional 20 million \u2060euros ($23.58 million) to Sudan this year, with \u2060further funding commitments currently \u200bunder review, the development ministry in Berlin said.<\/p>\n Civilian presence<\/p>\n The Berlin conference is co-hosted by Germany, the African Union, the EU, France, the UK and the US. It includes, for the first time, a structured civilian forum involving Sudanese civil society groups.<\/p>\n Abdalla Hamdok<\/a>, Sudan\u2019s former civilian prime minister, is in attendance. He was removed in the 2021 military coup led by Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo, which collapsed the civilian political process and paved the way for the rival military forces to turn on each other.<\/p>\n Mr Hamdok told The National in an interview before travelling to Berlin for the conference that the civilian delegation expects to push for humanitarian access, protection of civilians and a political track to end the war.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the first time, they are giving a civilian voice and listening to us as civilians,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Neither the Sudanese army nor the RSF has been invited to the Berlin meeting. The Sudanese government said Germany\u2019s plan to host a conference on Sudan on April 15 was \u201ca surprising and unacceptable\u201d interference in its internal affairs, saying it was done without consulting Khartoum and warning that engaging with paramilitary groups would undermine state sovereignty.<\/p>\n The war has killed tens of thousands, and about 14 million people have been displaced, according to a recent UN report, with 9 million inside Sudan and 4.4 million across borders.<\/p>\n International efforts to end violence have failed so far. Even a humanitarian truce \u2013 called for by the US, the UAE<\/a>, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, collectively known as the Quad \u2013 is out of reach.<\/p>\n Mr Boulos<\/a> said on \u200bthe sidelines of the conference that his country \u200bis \u2060not taking sides in \u2060the war \u200bin Sudan<\/a> and \u2060is focused on working on a UN mechanism \u2060to resolve \u200bthe \u2060conflict.<\/p>\n The US wants to secure a humanitarian truce that allows aid to reach people, he added\u2060.<\/p>\n Global failure<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/media\/qll1WB7C\/poster.jpg\")
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