Ahead of the third international Sudan conference, aid group Save the Children Germany called for significantly stronger efforts to protect civilians in the war-stricken country.

“It seems as though the world is watching this crisis without taking action instead of actively confronting it,” said Florian Westphal, chief executive of the child protection organisation. “This conference must not once again be nothing more than an empty phrase that brings no real progress.”

Mr Westphal pointed to a United Nations report, according to which more than 1,300 children were killed or maimed in Sudan last year alone.

More than 190 children were raped or subjected to sexual violence, according to the report.

“And these figures are only the tip of the iceberg, because many crimes committed against children are not documented,” he said.

“The problem is not that the crisis in Sudan is unknown. The problem is that not enough is being done to confront it,” Mr Westphal added.

The conference, hosted on Wednesday by the German government along with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the European Union and the African Union, is also expected to focus on aid pledges.

According to the UN, only around 16 per cent of the funding needed for 2026 has been secured so far.

(dpa/NAN)