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YOKOHAMA April 22, 2026

His Excellency Ambassador Elrayih Hyduob, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to Tokyo, met on April 22, 2026, with Mr. Yasuhiro Tsumura, Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Japan Relations Office. The meeting, held at the WFP office in Yokohama, aimed to explore avenues for joint cooperation and coordination to expand WFP’s developmental and humanitarian programs in Sudan. This comes as the Government of Japan increasingly channels its humanitarian and development assistance through UN agencies due to the current security situation in Sudan.

At the outset of the meeting, Ambassador Hyduob expressed the Government of Sudan’s profound appreciation for the WFP’s continuous efforts in providing humanitarian aid to the Sudanese people, particularly those affected by the war. He commended their role in alleviating poverty and hunger, as well as implementing vital projects in infrastructure, agriculture, and essential services.

In this context, the Ambassador reaffirmed the Embassy’s readiness to strengthen this partnership and address operational challenges in coordination with relevant Sudanese government authorities. He also emphasized the importance of engaging with the Japanese government as a key donor to increase support for projects in Sudan through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

For his part, Mr. Yasuhiro Tsumura confirmed the WFP’s commitment to sustaining and redoubling its support for those affected by the conflict in Sudan. He pledged to mobilize further Japanese government support for humanitarian and development initiatives.

The WFP Director welcomed the Ambassador’s proposal to organize a joint seminar focused on mobilizing Japanese support for Sudan. Both parties agreed to collaborate on a strategic framework to hold the seminar in the fourth quarter (Q4) of this year. It was also agreed to invite JICA as a principal partner, along with Japanese parliamentarians, academics, the WFP Country Director in Khartoum, and representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).