France to hold April aid conference for war-torn Sudan

As fighting between military rivals in Sudan rages on, France said on Wednesday that it will host a humanitarian conference in April to provide aid to the country.

French Foreign Minister, Stephane Sejourne, told parliamentarians that the Paris gathering would aim to help resolve the “dramatic humanitarian crisis” impacting both Sudan and neighbouring countries.

He did not provide any more details about the conference.

Thousands of people have died in the war which broke out in April last year between Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The fighting has seen 1.6 million Sudanese flee abroad, many to neighbouring Chad and Egypt, and displaced 6.1 million people from their homes within the country.

The United Nations says around 25 million people in Sudan -- more than half the population – are in need of aid, including nearly 18 million who face acute food insecurity.