'Crimes against humanity' may have been committed in Sudan: UN chief

Indiscriminate attacks against civilians in Sudan could constitute "war crimes and crimes against humanity," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said, one year since fighting erupted between rival generals.

"This is more than a conflict between two warring parties. It is a war being waged on the Sudanese people," Guterres told reporters on Monday.

"Indiscriminate attacks that are killing, injuring and terrorising civilians could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity."

Guterres' warning comes as France and its allies collected aid pledges of more than $2.1 billion (two billion euros) at a conference dedicated to helping Sudan.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the "support will be able to respond to the most urgent needs" for Sudan's population ranging from a food crisis to education.

Macron added that European Union countries had pledged nearly half the humanitarian aid total.

He said the total pledged marked a sharp increase on the level before the Paris conference was held, when pledges stood at 190 million euros.

With the conference "our duty was to show that we are not for getting what is going on in Sudan and there are no double standards" as the world focuses on other crises.

McCain said that despite the focus on other humanitarian crises, notably in Gaza, "we cannot forget places like Sudan."

'Catastrophic' humanitarian crisis

Ahead of Monday's conference, the head of the UN food agency said the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is "almost catastrophic", warning that the war had virtually cut all access to the stricken population.

World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain highlighted fears for the North African country on the first anniversary of the eruption of fighting between rival generals leading the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 8.5 million more have been forced to flee their homes since the war started.

"So our goal now is to be able to get in, get access to the places we need. About 90 percent of the population can't be reached right now," she said in an interview.

"And so when we start talking about is there famine, is there not famine, the truth is we don't know because we can't get in."

McCain said that despite the focus on other humanitarian crises, notably in Gaza, "we cannot forget places like Sudan."

"This is a desperate situation. This could be and probably might be the largest humanitarian hunger crisis on the globe ever. And so that's why we've got to get in."