French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday announced a €2 billion ($2.1 billion) aid pledge from the international community to support the war-torn African nation of Sudan, Agence France-Presse reported.
European Union member states will contribute €900 million with €110 million of that coming from France, AFP said. The pledges came at a conference dedicated to humanitarian support for the country held in Paris.
The brutal Sudanese conflict began one year ago, when the Rapid Support Forces militia and Sudan’s army turned on each other. They’ve since fought a war for control of the mineral-rich country in which almost 15,000 people have been killed, leaving the capital city of Khartoum in ruins and drawing accusations of war crimes.
Half of Sudan’s people need food assistance, 11 million are displaced and the prospect of widespread famine looms in a conflict that has destabilized the region and drawn in foreign powers including the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
Source: Bloomberg