Sudan: High-level aid conference set for London in April amid worsening crisis
March 18, 2025 (BRUSSELS) – A high-level conference on Sudan’s humanitarian crisis will be held in London on April 15, 2025, co-hosted by the United Kingdom, the EU, France, and Germany, the European Union said on Monday, as international pressure grows to address the worsening situation.
The announcement followed a meeting of senior humanitarian officials in Brussels last week. Participants warned of a deepening famine and urged warring parties in Sudan to allow full, unhindered aid access.
The third Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on Sudan, held on March 13, brought together humanitarian donors, UN agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, international NGOs, and Sudanese local responders, the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) said in a statement.
With more than 15 million people displaced, Sudan faces the world’s largest displacement crisis, ECHO said. The conflict, nearing its two-year mark, has also led to widespread food insecurity and famine, with civilians facing “shocking levels of violence.”
Famine is now confirmed in ten areas of Sudan, with 17 more at risk by May 2025, according to the meeting’s summary. A total of 30.2 million people need assistance, and 11.5 million are internally displaced.
EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, opened the Brussels meeting, emphasizing the EU’s commitment to delivering lifesaving aid and calling the situation “unsustainable.”
“We must not only keep Sudan high on the global agenda but also reinforce the pressure on the warring parties to refrain from unlawfully denying humanitarian access, halt the blatant international humanitarian law violations, and mobilize in an efficient manner the necessary funding to assist those in need,” Lahbib said.
Discussions focused on access restrictions, coordination, protection of civilians, and localization of aid efforts, ECHO said. Participants stressed the need for enhanced coordination, adaptability, and collaboration. They specifically urged the warring parties to comply with international humanitarian law (IHL), protect civilians and infrastructure, ensure the safety of aid workers, and cease all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. They also demanded an immediate end to hostilities and adherence to commitments made in the Jeddah Declaration of May 2023.
The meeting summary highlighted the “deliberate obstructions to aid” as a key barrier, calling for lifting all bureaucratic impediments and guaranteeing “immediate, unconditional, safe, and unhindered access” for aid supplies and personnel across all border crossings and conflict lines. This includes expediting visas for aid workers and lifting Central Bank restrictions on cash withdrawals for humanitarian organizations.
Donors explored the possibility of creating a humanitarian and diplomatic forum to engage with the warring parties on issues such as safe passage corridors and the protection of critical infrastructure.