Description: UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy hosted high level government officials from the African Union of Nations, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE to discuss aid programs and diplomatic efforts to end the war in Sudan. Representatives from the Sudanese government and the RSF weren’t invited as the leaders tried to form a contact group which would spearhead potential peace negotiations. RSF leader General Mohammed Hamdan Hemedti Dagalo subsequently announced the militant group’s plan to follow up on the parallel government initiative which started in Feb. The donor conference concluded with agreed upon aid packages with the UK providing up to $160 million while the EU pledged around $600 million in order to challenge the devastating humanitarian crisis in the country. Sudan has condemned the initiative as government officials continued to blame the UAE for providing support to the RSF. Egypt has sided itself with Sudan’s government and supported the military in their efforts to prevail over the RSF in the war.
Impact: Sudan’s war stemmed from a power struggle skirmish in 2023, has turned into the largest humanitarian and security disasters in present time. Attempts from the international community to consolidate around a potential contact group which would mediate and intensify diplomatic efforts to resolve the war has faltered with Dagalo’s announcement for a parallel government. Direct involvement from several countries such as the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the conflict signal the highly present foreign interference which consistently fuels the violence and armed clashes between the opposing parties. The US cut of global aid programs has catalyzed humanitarian crises across the globe and has had a special impact in Sudan, with Europe, the UK and other African nations scrambling to consolidate support. The donor conference doesn’t inspire confidence in rapid diplomatic initiatives to resolve the conflict as the necessity of mediated direct talks between Sudan’s government and the RSF rapidly emerges.