Experts link UK aid cuts to crisis in Sudan at parliamentary hearing

The United Kingdom’s aid budget cuts played a role in the international community’s failure to predict the outbreak of conflict in Sudan, according to experts. The international community’s approach to Sudan has been widely criticized by observers for being too focused on a political process in the capital of Khartoum, at the expense of voices from civilians and civil society organizations. Fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 15, sparking a crisis that has triggered massive humanitarian need — more than half the country’s population now needs assistance, according to the United Nations. "This is a worst-case scenario in a lot of ways playing out. But the fear is it can get worse, especially when you look at the humanitarian needs that have already risen very sharply in country,” said Natalia Chan, senior conflict and security adviser at Saferworld, who was speaking during a session convened to update members of Parliament on the situation in Sudan. When asked by the U.K. Parliament’s International Development Committee if the aid cuts had impacted the lack of communication and understanding officials had about the Sudan crisis before it erupted, Kholood Khair, founding director at the think tank Confluence Advisory, said the answer was a “resounding yes.” “If there had been greater investment in reaching those voices and making those voices heard, there would have made it to the deliberation table at least,” said Khair. Sudan is a highly complex country politically, particularly troubled in its western Darfur region, which has experienced genocide. This began under former ruler Omar al-Bashir, who was deposed by the military in 2019 after civilian protests against his decades-long stint in power. To help the country transition to a democratic system, in 2020 the United Nations Security Council established the political mission to Sudan, United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission In Sudan, or UNITAMS. But UNITAMS “was focused on the central politics and not on monitoring or supporting to the extent it was needed, taking less action in large areas of an expansive country with multiple conflicts ongoing,” Will Carter, country director for Sudan at the Norwegian Refugee Council, told the committee. "This is a worst-case scenario … playing out. But the fear is it can get worse, especially when you look at the humanitarian needs that have already risen very sharply in country.” --— Natalia Chan, senior conflict and security adviser, Saferworld “There needed to be a greater outreach to areas outside Khartoum to see what was going to bubble up and develop there,” said Carter. The “diplomatic community was caught unawares by this [war] precisely because they didn’t listen to humanitarian organizations,” said Khair. “There was just no feedback loop there, from what’s happening on the ground … as witnessed by these [humanitarian] organizations, making it up to the ears of embassies in the country and … Whitehall.” Khair said that “grave error” needed to be rectified for humanitarian response efforts to Sudan and any future political dealings. International development minister Andrew Mitchell recently told MPs the U.K. would use its position as Sudan penholder at the U.N. Security Council — i.e. the member tasked with directing and drafting the resolution — to “lead the renewal of the mandate for UNITAMS” and “ensure that UNITAMS has an effective mandate to address the changed situation on the ground.” Mitchell said the U.K.’s “top priorities” for Sudan were securing a ceasefire humanitarian access, the protection of civilians, encouraging compliance with international law and to encouraging political dialogue. “To achieve this, we are pursuing all diplomatic avenues,” wrote Mitchell, including at the U.N. Security Council and regional multilateral groups. The U.K. has pledged £5 million ($6.2 million) in relief funding so far this year. U.K. aid to Sudan totaled £223 million in 2021-22, with just over £3 million of that supplied by the former Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy according to Devtracker. But it fell to just £31.5 million in 2022-23, of which £6.3 million came from BEIS — which often distributed climate related funding before the department closed in February. No further funding is scheduled for 2023-24, though that could change if the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office decides to reallocate funding from elsewhere. Among the funding to be cut was to the peacebuilding NGO Saferworld, through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund around two years ago, according to Basil Daffalla, Saferworld’s director of conflict sensitivity facility. But there was a continuation of “other forms of peacebuilding funding on a slightly smaller scale” he said. The U.K. does continue to fund community engagement and responses through Saferworld and other organizations, which have “come to the fore” with communities becoming “frontline responders” amid the recent evacuations. The controversial 2020 merger of the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to create FCDO also played a role, according to Khair. “The merger wrought a bit of havoc within structure of the embassy, it seems. There was not, shall we say, a seamless transition,” she said. Other factors also played a role, she noted, such as the nearest U.K. defense attache being in Cairo — “So all military side of things was mostly missed by the U.K. government,” which was to rely on other governments for information that was likely incomplete. The resulting lack of understanding of the situation in Sudan by officials was reflected by the absences of the ambassador, deputy ambassador, and overseas security manager when fighting broke out.