Diplomats and aid groups converge in France for the International Humanitarian Conference to rally support in aid of Sudan.

“World donors pledged more than $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid for Sudan after a yearlong war that has pushed its population to the brink of famine,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. The aid be used to provide Sudan’s 51 million population with food, water, medicine and other needs.

The African country in recent times has been hit with conflicts and is currently on the edge of famine as some 37% of its population suffer from hunger.

The UN previously made an appeal to raise about $2.7 billion for an estimated number of 24 million Sudanese. The appeal however remains largely unmet. More efforts were made by the US and Saudi Arabia to negotiate a way out of the conflicts which have been marked by killings and displacement, especially in the capital of Khartoum. These efforts did not succeed either.

Authorities have warned that the African country is heading towards a larger scale of starvation which could lead to the death of many Sudanese in the coming months. Aid agencies in the country are unable to reach areas that have been most hit by the hunger as food production and distribution networks have broken down.

Some NGO’s have warned that about 200,000 children and pregnant women could be wiped down in the coming months.

According to the UN, almost 9 million Sudanese have been displaced to other regions within the country or to neighbouring countries.

The military and the Rapid Support Forces, RSF have been at logger heads with each other as they trade fire at each other.

Diplomatic envoys as well as aid agencies have called for an international mediation effort towards peace and have urged the military and the RSF to stop attacks on civilians for access for humanitarian aid.

Source: www.africanews.com , www.aljazeera.com