At the initiative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a high-level humanitarian conference is taking place this Friday, February 14, in Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of the 38th African Union Summit. Beyond speeches, UAE authorities are leading by example by announcing a substantial aid package for the Sudanese people.
Organized in cooperation with the African Union, IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), and Ethiopia, this humanitarian conference aims to mobilize support and necessary funding to implement concrete actions.
In this context, a UAE official announced to Reuters that the United Arab Emirates would provide $200 million in funding to meet Sudan’s humanitarian needs.
The UAE has also called for a "humanitarian pause" during Ramadan, in a country devastated since April 2023 by a fratricidal war. Clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, and the army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan—two former allies turned rivals—have caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced over 12 million people.
Famine has already hit five Sudanese regions, including three in North Darfur, and is expected to spread to five more districts by May, according to a recent report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), relayed by UN agencies. Given this situation, the African Union has described the Sudanese crisis as "the world's worst humanitarian crisis."
A Call for a Humanitarian Truce During Ramadan
"This war has lasted too long, has taken too many lives, and has caused immense suffering. What the UAE is seeking to do, alongside its partners, is to call for a humanitarian pause," said Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"We hope that with this humanitarian pause, we will be able to provide unhindered aid to those who need it most, particularly women and children who are suffering in unprecedented ways," she continued during a press conference in Addis Ababa, held alongside the African Union summit.
By leading by example, the UAE hopes to encourage increased regional and international support for the Sudanese people.
A Strengthened Humanitarian Commitment
As a reminder, the United Arab Emirates, as one of the main contributors to humanitarian aid for Sudan and Africa, has already allocated 70% of its commitment announced last April—$100 million—to UN agencies and humanitarian and relief organizations, to support humanitarian efforts in Sudan.
Additionally, the UAE previously granted $8 million to the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Last year, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy recalled that her country had established an air bridge with Sudan and neighboring Chad at the onset of the Sudanese crisis, to provide all forms of support and assistance to the Sudanese people and to alleviate the dire humanitarian conditions in Sudan and surrounding countries.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the UAE has provided $130 million to support humanitarian response efforts, along with 9,500 tons of food and medical supplies, delivered via 148 relief flights, in addition to a ship carrying approximately 1,000 tons of emergency relief supplies.
Furthermore, the UAE has supported Sudanese refugee camps in Abéché and various regions of Chad. A 100-ton food aid shipment was also sent to Sudanese refugees in South Sudan, through the World Food Programme (WFP).
