France will hold a ministerial meeting in mid-April to help Sudan and neighbouring countries cope with the fallout of a civil war that has seen millions displaced and prompted warnings of famine, its foreign minister and diplomats said.
The 10-month war in Sudan pits the country's armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) © Mena Today
France will hold a ministerial meeting in mid-April to help Sudan and neighbouring countries cope with the fallout of a civil war that has seen millions displaced and prompted warnings of famine, its foreign minister and diplomats said.
The United Nations has urged countries not to forget the civilians caught up in the war in Sudan, appealing for $4.1 billion to meet their humanitarian needs and support those who have fled to neighbouring countries.
Half of Sudan's population - around 25 million people - need humanitarian assistance and protection, while more than 1.5 million people have fled to the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan, according to the United Nations.
"It cannot become a forgotten crisis," Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne told a hearing in parliament, saying the conference will be on April 15.
The 10-month war in Sudan pits the country's armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to end the conflict.
French diplomatic sources said the conference would bring together ministers from neighbouring countries, regional actors, Western states as well as UN agencies and non-profit organisations working in the area.
There would also be talks on the political situation, although the main warring factions were not due to be invited, diplomats said.
Reporting by John Irish
Human Rights Watch has accused an Abu Dhabi-based security company of recruiting Colombian private military contractors and deploying them to fight alongside Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) between 2024 and 2025, adding to what the rights group describes as a growing body of evidence of Emirati military support for the paramilitary group.
Farmers across Sudan say the hike in global fuel and fertilizer costs resulting from the Iran conflict will force them to cut back on planting this summer, restricting food production in a country where war has caused acute hunger.
At least nine people were killed and six others injured when a four-storey building collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fez, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) east of Rabat, local authorities said on Thursday.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.