Brussels - London: Europe and the Arabs
To help address the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan, the European Commission and Member States pledged €522 million in aid for 2025 during the High-Level Conference for Sudan, hosted yesterday in London by the Commission in partnership with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the African Union. This comes after two years of armed conflict that has severely impacted the region's population. According to a statement issued by the Commission's headquarters in Brussels, "Of the total EU pledges, the Commission has pledged €282 million. The remaining funding was pledged by EU Member States: Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
The EU assistance will provide urgent health and nutrition care, food assistance, water and sanitation, shelter, protection, and education to the most vulnerable families—internally displaced persons, refugee families, and host communities."
The statement quoted European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Haja Lahbib, as saying, "Two years into the war, the situation in Sudan remains devastating. The conflict has brought famine to the country and led to the largest displacement crisis in the world. More than 15 million people have been displaced from their homes. Violations of international humanitarian law are widespread." Over the past weekend, horrific violence in Zamzam camp, North Darfur, claimed the lives of many civilians—including humanitarian workers—and caused many more to flee. This is just one example among many. Today, we must keep Sudan high on the global agenda and uphold international humanitarian law. I reaffirm the European Union's commitment, and I am grateful to all Member States who have contributed to this cause, in the spirit of Team Europe, to help those in need inside the country and across borders. According to Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management
The conference follows Commissioner Lahbib's visit to Chad, where she witnessed the devastating impact of this conflict on refugees, women, and children. The conference aims to raise international attention to the long-standing humanitarian tragedy in Sudan and provides a platform to address the devastating humanitarian consequences, including practical steps to improve humanitarian access.
In 2025, the EU allocated €160 million for humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable in Sudan. In addition, the EU has allocated €109 million for the humanitarian response to the Sudan crisis in neighboring countries. The EU is also providing an additional €13 million in stabilization assistance. This brings the EU's total contribution to the regional response to the Sudan crisis, both in Sudan and in neighboring countries affected by the crisis, to €282 million in 2025.
This high-level conference builds on previous advocacy efforts, including the EU Senior Officials Meeting in Brussels on March 13 and a joint EU-UNHCR event focusing on the regional dimension of the Sudan crisis, held virtually on April 10.

The United Kingdom, for its part, pledged £120 million in new aid to Sudan.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the new funding, which will provide essential food supplies, including cereals, pulses, oils, and salt, and support more than 600,000 people.
This latest pledge brings the UK's total commitment to more than £230 million since late 2024. A £113 million aid package was announced in November. "Two years is too long," Lamy said. "We must act now to prevent this crisis from turning into a full-blown catastrophe."