Sudan

Berlin Hosts Sudan Conference

Is the Berlin Sudan conference a crucial lifeline for millions or just empty diplomatic theater?

13 hours ago·Updated 12 hours ago

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Above: AU Commission Chair Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib and other delegates pose for a family photo at the third international Sudan conference at the Foreign Office in Berlin on April 15. Image credit: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Hosting a conference that excludes Sudan's warring parties and ignores Khartoum's objections is theater, just like the failed London and Paris summits before it. Humanitarian funding sits at just 16% of what's needed, yet peace remains impossible while external actors keep fueling both sides of the conflict. No pledge total fixes a war that external meddling sustains, and without stopping the fighting, Sudan's economy loses tens of billions for decades.

Al Jazeera Sudan Horizon Sudan Tribune

Pro-establishment narrative

The conference reflects a pragmatic effort to keep Sudan on the international agenda as the war drags on. Even without the warring parties present, coordinated diplomacy and pressure can help shape conditions for eventual talks. Humanitarian funding remains far below needs, but disengagement would only deepen the crisis. External actors are not only fueling the conflict — they also remain among the few able to contain its long-term economic and regional fallout.

Guardian German Federal Foreign Office ReliefWeb

The Sudan Times on X

Narrative C

The Berlin conference must deliver real results — 33 million people in Sudan need aid now, and funding has fallen to under 40% of what’s required as media attention remains limited and shifts to the Middle East. Aid cuts have shut down 80% of community kitchens, forced NGOs to ration antibiotics and left survivors without support. Donor nations have a clear legal and moral obligation to scale up funding and stop letting diplomatic talk substitute for real action.