Sudan is asking donors gathered in Oslo, Norway, for more than $2 billion in aid to rebuild the south after 21 years of civil war.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged delegates from 60 nations to replace their pledges with cash - warning that humanitarian agencies will run out of food for some two million people in southern Sudan in a matter of weeks.
Mr. Annan also said that peace is not possible in Sudan without an accord on the nation's separate conflict in the western Darfur region.
Conference host Norway pledged $250 million over the next three years for Sudan, while Japan announced an offer of $100 million in aid.
The United States, which led the talks to end the war in southern Sudan, is expected to give an initial contribution of $900 million.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
