Sudanese Government Denounces ‘Berlin Conference’ as “Paternalistic Approach” Violating Sovereignty

Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a strongly worded statement expressing its condemnation and outright rejection of the organization of the conference, describing it as a serious violation of Sudanese sovereignty and an embodiment of a “paternalistic, colonial approach” through which some Western countries seek to impose their agenda.

Berlin is hosting, on Wednesday, a broad international conference on Sudan aimed at mobilizing humanitarian support and assisting the country, which has been enduring a devastating war that has produced what has been described as the worst humanitarian situation in the world.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry expressed its surprise at the convening of the conference under the pretext of humanitarian concern without prior consultation or coordination with the country’s official institutions, considering that bypassing national perspectives and excluding the Sudanese government constitutes an unacceptable precedent in international relations.

The statement stressed that the pretext of “neutrality” invoked by the organizing parties to justify this exclusion is an argument “of no value,” affirming that the Sudanese people will not accept decisions being made about their country by external states and organizations while bypassing their legitimate government.

The ministry also sharply criticized what it described as the approach of equating the national army with a “criminal terrorist militia” accused of committing genocide, warning that such a stance undermines the foundations of regional and international security and effectively rewards terrorist movements in Africa and the Middle East by encouraging them to escalate their criminal activities.

The statement added that the Berlin Conference, by following in the footsteps of previous conferences held in Paris and London, represents a disregard for the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, which are based on respect for the sovereignty of states.