UK foreign secretary David Lammy has described the war in Sudan as “brutal” ahead of a London meeting on Tuesday to mark the conflict’s second anniversary.

Mr Lammy, who gave the description just as the UK government announced a £120 million food and aid package for Sudan, said Sudan’s stability is “vital for (the UK’s) national security.”

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 U.S.

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

According to United Nations 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.”

The foreign secretary added, “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.”

The new 120 million pounds sterling 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 pounds sterling aid package announced last November, before the government’s decision to cut UK development spending from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent by 2027. 

(PA Media/dpa/NAN)