France to Host Humanitarian Conference for Sudan

Sudanese military personnel are positioned near a bridge gate during a sit-in protest outside the Defense Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 15, 2019. - AFP
Sudanese military personnel are positioned near a bridge gate during a sit-in protest outside the Defense Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 15, 2019. - AFP
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France to Host Humanitarian Conference for Sudan

Sudanese military personnel are positioned near a bridge gate during a sit-in protest outside the Defense Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 15, 2019. - AFP
Sudanese military personnel are positioned near a bridge gate during a sit-in protest outside the Defense Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 15, 2019. - AFP

France is to host a humanitarian conference to provide aid to war-torn Sudan in April, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on Wednesday.

"We will host a humanitarian conference in Paris on April 15 for Sudan and neighbouring countries to help resolve this dramatic humanitarian crisis," he told the lower house of parliament, without providing more details.

"It should not become a forgotten crisis."

War that broke out in April last year between Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, his former deputy and commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has killed thousands and sparked a humanitarian disaster.

Around 25 million people -- more than half the population -- need aid, including nearly 18 million who face acute food insecurity, according to UN numbers.

The fighting has caused 1.6 million people to flee abroad, many to neighbouring Chad and Egypt, and displaced 6.1 million from their homes within the country, the United Nations says.

The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that the lean season during summer could trigger catastrophic levels of hunger.



Belarusian Leader Pardons 23 People Jailed for 'Extremism'

In this photo released by Belarus' Presidential Press Service, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, second right, visits the Minsk City Technopark in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Belarus' Presidential Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by Belarus' Presidential Press Service, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, second right, visits the Minsk City Technopark in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Belarus' Presidential Press Service via AP)
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Belarusian Leader Pardons 23 People Jailed for 'Extremism'

In this photo released by Belarus' Presidential Press Service, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, second right, visits the Minsk City Technopark in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Belarus' Presidential Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by Belarus' Presidential Press Service, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, second right, visits the Minsk City Technopark in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Belarus' Presidential Press Service via AP)

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 23 people who were convicted of extremism, state media reported on Saturday.
State news agency Belta said three women and 20 men had been pardoned, among them 13 were older than 50, 14 had chronic diseases, 12 had children. According to Reuters, it did not give any of their names.
"All of them applied for pardon, admitted their guilt, and repented of what they had done," Belta reported.