Members of the African Development Bank (ADB) group warned Friday that the conflict in Sudan threatens to reverse economic and development gains in the region, and joined the African Union in calling for an end to the war.
The statement came at the close of the group’s annual meetings, with the governors speaking on behalf of the more than 50 Bank and Fund member countries that make up the African Development Bank group.
“The escalation of the conflict in Sudan has the potential to undermine and reverse economic and development gains in the region,” they noted, joining “the African Union in its call to end the conflict” and celebrating the start of preliminary talks. between the two opposing parties.
Sudan internally displaced by war tops 1 million
More than five weeks of war caused at least 1,800 deathsaccording to the most recent data, and more than a million displaced persons and refugees and this Friday the fighting between military and paramilitary forces that are vying for power in Sudan, especially in the capital, despite the ceasefire in force for a few years days.
The AfDB’s annual meetings had this year as their central theme mobilize private financial resources to address climate change and supporting green growth on the continent, and the devastating effects of the weather events of recent years were also the focus of attention at the closing.
The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change and natural disasters were underlined at the press conference by AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina to reaffirm the institution’s commitments in this field.
The governors, for their part, mentioned in the final statement “the most recent of these phenomena (…) the devastating Cyclone Freddy, which caused the loss of hundreds of lives, the displacement of populations and the destruction of infrastructure in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar.”, and severe droughts in many parts of Africa.
Week-long ceasefire in Sudan starting Monday
In this perspective, they called for “an urgent action to double the collective offer of financing for the fight against climate change, for the adaptation and implementation of new financing mechanisms to deal with losses and damages”, in line with the conference decisions. of the United Nations on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.
Completing work that unfolds throughout the week in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, the group’s leaders announced that Kenya will host the 2024 annual meetings, which will take place May 27-31 in Nairobi.
Source: Observadora
