The UAE on Tuesday announced that it would contribute a further $500 million to a humanitarian fund for Sudan, while Washington announced progress towards the finalisation of a comprehensive peace plan.
UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh said more than half of Sudan's population urgently requires aid and said that the funds would help the civilian population access medical care, shelter and life-saving assistance.
“We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities to allow humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance across the country,” Ms Nusseibeh said at a pledging conference for Sudan aid in Washington.
US senior adviser for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos indicated progress towards finalising the text of a peace plan, but said it still needed to be approved by other members of the Quad, which also includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
“I can, I think, safely announce today that we do have a text,” Mr Boulos said.
“We we have members of the Quad and other friends that are highly committed to resolving this as quickly as possible." He noted that there can be no military solution to the conflict and also called for a humanitarian truce.
The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the formerly allied paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The SAF and RSF have both been accused of committing war crimes.
Mr Boulos said Washington would contribute another $200 million in Sudan assistance.
Several other countries including Saudi Arabia spoke in support of aid efforts but did not announce new pledges, as amounts were being finalised. The conference was expected to bring in about $1.5 billion for Sudan aid in total, Mr Boulos said.
President Donald Trump in November said he would work towards ending the war in Sudan. Mr Boulos said that aside from the “strong text” for a truce, there is also language for a UN mechanism to oversee the withdrawal of forces and troops from certain priority cities.
The UAE on Sunday said it has joined forces with the UN to provide $20 million in funding to bolster crucial food aid programmes for civilians affected by the war in Sudan.
The relief effort aims to address urgent food security needs of vulnerable groups, including displaced Sudanese people, who are bearing the brunt of the civil war.
Tuesday’s $500 million pledge follows previous UAE assistance of $4.24 billion since 2015, including $784 million in humanitarian aid since the outbreak of the civil war.
More than 10 million people have been displaced since the start of the war.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said famine is gripping at least three areas in Sudan, “but we're up at four or five in several, so the warning lights are flashing there too”.
There are “really massive food needs … massive health needs, shelter, protection from this horrific, brutal violence”, he added, noting that sexual violence has become a hallmark of the conflict.
