The EU, spearheaded by Germany and France, are hoping to put the international spotlight back on Sudan amid a war where half the population is at risk of famine.
“Sudan is the largest displacement crisis in the world, there is not another as big,” said Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, on Monday (15 April).
And he deplored Russia’s presence in the country, describing it as an agent seeking to take advantage of the Western vacuum. “Russia is also there, not as a mediator, but as an agent,” he said.
Past reports say the Kremlin-backed Wagner mercenary group had been supplying missiles to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Dagalo is waging a war against Sudan’s military, commanded by the country’s de facto president, general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
And Ukrainian forces are reportedly fighting on Burhan’s behalf against the Wagner backed RSF, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The two generals had in 2019 dethroned Sudan’s dictator Omar al-Bashir but then turned on each other as they disputed control over the military and the country’s vast mineral wealth.
Borrell’s statement was made at a Paris conference on Sudan, alongside the foreign ministers of France and Germany, as well as the EU commissioner for humanitarian aid, Janez Lenarcic.
It comes as the war in Ukraine, followed by the recent bloodshed and killings in Gaza, have captured international headlines.
All are hoping to revive broader international interest in the Sudan conflict that has displaced over eight million and killed thousands since the war started in April last year.
Along with that interest comes demands for much needed humanitarian relief funds, as well as access to those in need by aid workers.
The EU announced it would provide some €355m in funding for Sudan and neighbouring nations, many which are hosting large numbers of refugees.
The leaders are also attempting to kick-start negotiations in the hopes of finding a ceasefire between the two generals.
Neither was invited to Paris on Monday.
“This war is born from madness of two men, affecting 50 million Sudanese. There are no words to describe the atrocities and suffering,” said Lenarcic.
He said Sudan is in a state of collapse, turning into one of the worst humanitarian disasters ever on the African continent.
“Aid must be allowed to reach those in need, even across the front lines and international borders,” he said.
He said the EU will pressure nations siding with the respective generals to ensure access as required under international humanitarian law.
Such commitments had been made by the generals in the past but then ignored, he said.
Earlier this week, the United Nations warned some 230,000 children, pregnant women and new mothers could die of famine in Sudan within the next few months.