A United Kingdom government minister has suggested it was a major mistake to abandon a peace-building program in Sudan ahead of the outbreak of the civil war that has devastated the country.
The £2.6 million ($3.2 million) Sudan Transitional program worked with civil society groups to achieve a “better understanding of emerging conflicts” — but was scrapped a year early, in March 2021, as part of wider aid cuts.
Last year, Devex revealed how an internal analysis later admitted the U.K. had not grasped the risk of civil war when the decision was taken, despite being the penholder for Sudan at the United Nations. The 10-month conflict continues to spread, having so far killed thousands of civilians and displaced around 8 million people.