MSF UK statement on the Sudan summit in London

On the second anniversary of the war in Sudan, a lack of political will remains the biggest barrier to providing humanitarian assistance.

Dr Natalie Roberts, Executive Director of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors without Borders (MSF) UK, issued this statement following the London Sudan Conference on 15 April 2025:

“The situation in Sudan after two years of war is truly catastrophic. 

This is a brutal conflict with devastating consequences, as millions of people have been forced to flee their homes and indiscriminate and savage attacks against civilians by both sides have led to tens of thousands of deaths, and many more injured. 

Rape and sexual violence are routinely used as a weapon of war, and a large proportion of the population faces starvation.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian response risks failure, as both warring parties continue to obstruct humanitarian access to areas outside their control. 

Humanitarian workers and facilities are not spared from attack: since the start of the conflict MSF has recorded more than 80 incidents of violence inflicted on MSF staff, assets and infrastructure.

In this context of such extreme suffering of the Sudanese people, we of course welcome the increased funding announced at today's conference but as David Lammy, the UK Foreign Secretary, points out, it is not a lack of funding that is the biggest barrier to providing humanitarian assistance at the scale so urgently needed across Sudan today, it’s a lack of political will.

What we need to see as a matter of urgency is a political agreement that comprehensively allows for humanitarian access across the whole of Sudan and brings a moratorium on issues impeding humanitarian assistance and the protection of civilians. 

This needs to be agreed by both main warring parties and sponsored by all the States at today’s summit.

The outcomes of this conference are a start, as is the commitment to sustained diplomatic engagement to ensure effective humanitarian access across Sudan, leaving no one behind. 

Now we need to see evidence of that political will being translated into concrete action, and for all the States in attendance to take accountability for bringing this immense suffering to an end. Failure to act is not an option.”