The Sudan Conference missed an opportunity

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), has criticized the “disappointing results” of the international conference on Sudan in London as a “missed opportunity to save the civilian population”. “The conference would have provided an opportunity for very concrete agreements – as a means to put effective pressure on the parties to the conflict and to end the war. Some of the 20 participating countries are flooding Sudan with weapons, further fueling the fire – such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, or Egypt,” stated Sarah Reinke, head of human rights work at the STP, in Göttingen on Wednesday. “It doesn’t help to repeat like a mantra that one wouldn’t forget Sudan. Mere aid pledges like those made last year will hardly help to reduce the suffering of the people. This is especially bitter for the thousands of refugees who aren’t even truly safe in the refugee camps.”

Only a few days before the beginning of the conference, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had committed a horrific massacre in the Zamzam camp, the largest refugee camp in Darfur. Hundreds of people were killed or injured, tens of thousands were forced to flee once again. Nine medical professionals were killed deliberately.

“This shocking war crime was not even mentioned in the final document of the conference,” Reinke criticized. In the run-up to the conference, the STP had sent a letter to the participants, asking them to condemn states that are supporting the warring parties with weapons, money, and personnel. The existing sanctions must be adhered to consistently, and infringements must be punished. Further, people in need must be provided with relief goods and food from the air, safe escape corridors must be established, and civil society organizations providing aid on the ground must be granted support.

For two years now, Sudan has been rocked by heavy fighting, leading to the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe with approximately 150.000 deaths and 13 million refugees. 30 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid. In this war, hunger and rape are being used as weapons against the civilian population – especially women and children.