2026-07-02

3. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her views on the war in Sudan and on the Government's position on same, in particular the need to ensure access to appropriate aid; her position on the continuing concerning flow of weapons into the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50709/26]

We have often discussed the appalling conflict in Sudan - the greatest humanitarian crisis on the planet at this moment in time. Millions of people are displaced and hundreds of thousands have been killed. It is a situation that continues to escalate, particularly now in the Kordofan and Blue Nile states. There is a need to address the humanitarian crisis and to ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers. Ultimately, what is required also is pressure to ensure that the ongoing flow of weapons, which continues to this day, and finance in relation to fuelling this conflict are addressed. It is important that this be a priority in terms of this theme of the Presidency.

I thank the Deputy for consistently raising this issue in questions and debates and shining a light on what is the greatest humanitarian disaster currently happening on this planet. The conflict in Sudan continues to have a devastating impact on the Sudanese people, particularly women and children. I am particularly alarmed by the Rapid Support Forces' offensive of the city of El Obeid. Following their appalling attacks in El Fasher last year, there is a grave risk of the RSF committing further mass atrocities. The warring parties must adhere to their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers. Civilians must be able to leave the city safely and all parties must ensure rapid, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access. On 23 June, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, signed a joint ministerial statement from Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK on the situation in El Obeid. The Ministers stressed that external support continues to sustain the conflict and called on those fuelling the conflict to cease. Those with influence must exercise it now to avoid further bloodshed. Ireland also continues to advocate for the expansion of the UN embargo to the whole country. The critical issue of humanitarian access and the need to remove bureaucratic obstacles to aid are at the heart of Ireland's diplomatic engagement on Sudan. I attended the International Sudan Conference in Berlin on 15 April. The EU and its member states, including Ireland, pledged over €812 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people in Sudan and to respond to the regional refuge crisis. Ireland will significantly increase our humanitarian assistance this year from over €14.3 million provided in 2025 to €21 million this year. Our funding will be channelled through trusted partners to reach the most vulnerable. On 12 June, we launched a call for proposals from Irish agency partners working on the ground in hard-to-reach areas in Sudan. My Government colleagues and I are determined to ensure that this devastating crisis is not sidelined or forgotten. We will continue to ensure a sustained focus on Sudan during our Presidency.

I am glad the Minister of State referenced El-Obeid. The moment in which the world paid most attention to Sudan was at the end of the siege of El Fasher when RSF arrived into that city and literally struck people down in the street with machetes. It was the kind of slaughter that was redolent of what happened in Rwanda. Tens of thousands of people were killed. It is difficult to get a clear sense of the loss of life, but it was absolutely enormous. Unfortunately, the world has begun to look away again at a time when, potentially, we face the same type of circumstances at El-Obeid. The latter is a significant city. Hundreds of thousands of people live there, many of whom are already internally displaced. Many of them may have left places such as El Fasher. It is vitally important to do whatever we can do to put pressure on to prevent a recurrence. I have referenced the role of the United Arab Emirates, UAE. The UAE is not the only country involved, but it is clearly a crucial one in terms of the supply of weapons to those involved in this conflict. That needs to be called out at both an Irish and a European level.

In reference to El-Obeid, on 19 June, Fr. Youhanna Al-Amin, a Roman Catholic priest, was killed in an attack on Holy Cross parish church. On the same date, in another attack on an office and warehouse of a partner organisation of Trócaire in South Kordofan, a guard working for the organisation was killed and a colleague wounded. The warehouse, which contained UNICEF medical and nutrition supplies, was looted. Trócaire is an organisation familiar to all of us. We know that the work of Trócaire takes place on a worldwide basis; it is not just located in Maynooth. The depravity that happened in El Fasher and to which the Deputy referred is unfortunately spreading. We see that in terms of what is happening at El-Obeid. We also see the continuing need for a strong humanitarian response, which Ireland certainly has not been found wanting on, the need to expand the UN embargo, which we have talked about before, and the need to consistently raise this matter with partners. I note the Deputy's reference to the UAE. As he knows, I have raised that matter with the Minister a number of times. I raised it with the Ambassador again just yesterday. I will continue to raise it.

The Minister of State might have seen a very troubling report in The Guardian in recent weeks regarding Nathaniel Raymond, an American human rights investigator from Yale University, who alleged that representatives of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Britain told him there was significant private pressure from the UAE which meant that the UK would not publicly divulge information linking Ethiopia and the Emirates to support for the RSF, which was responsible for the atrocities in El Fasher, and that there had been an attempt to downplay the scale of death and human rights abuses. Obviously, I have no way of establishing the this, but the concern is that similar pressure and reticence exists across countries within the EU. I asked the Minister of State, and he has broadly agreed, that during its Presidency, Ireland needs to continue to raise this issue. Does he sense any movement or any greater willingness on the part of European countries to ensure that greater pressure will be exerted, particularly in the context of the supply of arms?

Absolutely. Let us not mince our words. What is occurring in Sudan is the worst humanitarian disaster on the planet. There are acts of pure depravity being perpetrated. Rape is being used as a weapon of war on a scale that has not been seen for a long time. The Irish Government is absolutely committed to continuing to keeping Sudan at the top of the agenda. We have done this consistently at European Council meetings. We have done this through the UN, particularly at the UN General Assembly high-level week. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has included it as an item for the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council meeting. I raised it at the most recent meeting of the development ministers. It will be discussed at the informal meeting of development ministers to be held in Dublin in October. Unfortunately, Sudan is often a forgotten crisis for too many people. We know how what is happening is spreading across to the entire region and of the sheer scale of the numbers of those affected. Hundreds of thousands of people who have died, millions are being displaced and millions are facing hunger. This crisis is simply too grave and too big for Ireland not to use every diplomatic tool at its disposal to continue to highlight what is happening and to continue to exert pressure.