Sudan received Thursday $1.8 billion as direct support from countries and institutions participating in the Sudan Partners Conference held by video link in Berlin at the initiative of Germany and in cooperation with the UN, the European Union and Khartoum.
Meanwhile, European countries including France and Spain called for removing Sudan from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, and easing the conditions for obtaining financing from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to help Khartoum achieve economic and development reforms.
The US made the top pledges at the conference after Acting USAID administrator John Barsa announced that his country alone would give $356.2 million for development aid and democratic transition programs.
The European Union came second, announcing 312 million euros for Sudan in 2020, including 251 million euros in support of economic and social reform programs, and 93 million euros for family protection programs.
The host country, Germany, announced pledged 150 million euros.
"This conference opened a new chapter in the cooperation between Sudan and the international community to rebuild the country," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said at the conference, attended by some 50 countries and international organizations.
Sudan pledged to achieve comprehensive and just peace, and to address the economic crisis, and restore looted assets.
Prime Minster Abdalla Hamdok said the conference represents Sudan’s powerful return to the international community, appreciating the partners and friends of Sudan, especially, Germany, EU and the UN for organizing the conference.
The PM underlined that his country is now moving from war, conflict and economic collapse to democratic rule and from isolation to re-integration in the international community where, it achieved some progress during the past nine months.
“This partnership lays a solid foundation for us moving forward. We know that there is a lot of work to be done, but with this type of support, we will certainly move ahead,” Hamdok said.
The conference’s closing statement said "it marks the start of a process, which will be followed by subsequent engagement by the international community to take stock of the progress made by Sudan in implementing reforms and to allow its partners to adapt their support accordingly.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Gueterres said: “We need to mobilize massive financial support,” which, among other things, is needed to “remove any hiccups that still exist between Sudan and international financial institutions.”
