Britain Pledges Additional £120 Million for Sudan Crisis at London Conference

Britain announced an additional £120 million ($158 million) in aid for Sudan at an international conference in London on Tuesday, marking the two-year anniversary of a conflict that has created what officials describe as “the worst humanitarian crisis on record.”

Ahead of the conference to increase aid for Sudan, the EU and member states pledged over €522 million to address the crisis.

The war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has displaced 12 million people and left 30 million in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, with famine spreading throughout the country.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticized the international community’s muted response to the crisis. “The war has been going on for far too long, and yet much of the world continues to look away,” he said. “We need to act now to stop the crisis from becoming an all-out catastrophe.”

The London conference, co-hosted by Britain with the African Union, European Union, France, and Germany, aimed to improve coordination of international response efforts. However, the event generated controversy as Sudan’s government was not invited to participate.

Sudan’s foreign ministry sent a formal complaint to Lammy, also objecting to the presence of the United Arab Emirates and Kenya. Sudan has accused the UAE of arming the RSF—allegations the UAE denies. Sudan also recently recalled its ambassador to Kenya after the country hosted talks with the RSF and its allies about forming a parallel government.

African Union commissioner Bankole Adeoye emphasized that “achieving peace in Sudan depends on valuing every voice and everyone playing a role in building a prosperous Sudan.”

The aid pledge comes despite recent cuts to Britain’s foreign aid budget to fund increased defense spending. While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to continue aid to Sudan—one of three priority areas alongside Gaza and Ukraine—his development minister resigned over concerns that Britain’s aid commitments would be impossible to maintain.

Separately, lawyers representing Sudanese victims submitted a 141-page dossier outlining alleged RSF war crimes to UK police, requesting it be forwarded to the International Criminal Court.