Sudan conflict ‘brutal’, says Lammy ahead of £120m aid package

Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy commented on the war in Sudan ahead of a London meeting on Tuesday to mark the conflict’s two-year anniversary.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy sitting with people at the Adre refugee camp, on the border between Chad and Sudan — Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the Adre refugee camp, on the border between Chad and Sudan (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Sudan’s stability is “vital for our national security”, David Lammy has said as the Government announced a £120 million food and aid package.

Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy described the war in Sudan as “brutal”, ahead of a London meeting on Tuesday to mark the conflict’s two-year anniversary.

The UK will co-host the gathering alongside the 55-member African Union bloc, the European Union, France and Germany, attended by representatives from other states including South Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the US.

Fighting began in April 2023 with armed clashes between the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary organisation and the Sudanese Armed Forces.

According to United Nations (UN) agencies, more than 12.7 million people have been forcibly displaced in the war, with 1.1 million moving into South Sudan and 1.5 million into Egypt.

“Instability must not spread,” Mr Lammy said.

“It drives migration from Sudan and the wider region, and a safe and stable Sudan is vital for our national security.

“The UK will not let Sudan be forgotten.”

People cheer a convoy of soldiers in a Sudanese market — People cheer a convoy of soldiers as they arrive in an area recently recaptured by Sudan’s army from the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group 40km south of Khartoum (AP)

The Foreign Secretary also said: “Two years is far too long.

“The brutal war in Sudan has devastated the lives of millions and yet much of the world continues to look away.

“We need to act now to stop the crisis from becoming an all-out catastrophe, ensuring aid gets to those who need it the most.

“As I saw earlier this year on a visit to Chad’s border with Sudan, the warring parties have shown an appalling disregard for the civilian population of Sudan.

“This conference will bring together the international community to agree a pathway to end the suffering.”

Ahead of the meeting, United Nations (UN) spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN wants to see Sudan’s “neighbours and the international community move in unity of purpose towards peace instead of fuelling the conflict”.

The new £120 million funding is for the 2025/26 financial year and aims to reach more than 600,000 people, with the money going towards supplying people including vulnerable children with pulses, oils, salts and cereals.

It will also help provide emergency support to survivors of sexual violence.

This follows a separate £113 million aid package announced last November, before the Government decision to cut UK development spending from 0.5% of GNI (gross national income) to 0.3% by 2027.