(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani was in Berlin on Wednesday – the third anniversary of the outbreak of Sudan’s brutal civil war – to attend a conference to garner funds for the war-ravaged country which is in the grip of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, Italy’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Tajani was due to address the Berlin conference alongside representatives of European Union member states and non-European donors, the foreign ministry statement said.
UN agencies, regional and international organisations, local and international NGOs, and members of civil society were also attending the conference, according to the statement.
Some 15 million people have been forced from their homes in Sudan since the start of the civil war, including nearly 5 million refugees in neighbouring countries, the statement said. The world has however failed to meet the country’s vast humanitarian need, hindered by the fighting, bureaucratic restrictions from both sides in the war and a lack of money: only 16.2% of the United Nations 2.87 billion dollar needs assessment for 2026 has been met so far.
Italy has mobilised over 33 million euros since 2023 for emergency aid to Sudan: 18.5 million euros for international organisations operating on the ground (ICRC, IFCR UNHCR, WHO and FAO) and 14.65 million euros for bilateral interventions by Italian NGOs, said the statement.
Sudan is a key country for Italy’s overseas aid, which is prioritising access to basic healthcare services, the fight against poverty, economic development, social protection, human rights, the environment and food security, the statement continued.
Italy’s government has earmarked a total 142 million euros to date for the Sudan crisis, while a further 7 million euros is being managed by Italy’s development agency (AICS)’s health projects office in neighbouring Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, the statement said.
In a further sign of Italy’s support, Tajani in November launched the ‘Italy for Sudan’ initiative, modelled on ‘Food for Gaza’ scheme. This is based on three main pillars: life-saving interventions for people forced to flee their homes; aid for refugees, host communities and host countries; and facilitating safe voluntary returns, the statement noted.
A total 132 tonnes of humanitarian aid, both food and non-food items have been allocated under the ‘Italy for Sudan’ scheme. Two grants have been approved: 5 million euros to FAO for agricultural resilience projects and 1 million euros to IFCR for access to water, shelter and medical assistance, the statement concluded.
