2026-05-21

6. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the level of support being offered by her Department to the ongoing situation in Sudan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38554/26]

Listening to the debate today it is very clear, even in the modern world, the one thing that remains is that man's inhumanity to man is quite staggering sometimes. I ask the Minister of State for an update on the level of support that is being delivered by his Department in response to the humanitarian crisis that is currently unfolding in Sudan.

I am very grateful to the Deputy for raising this. I acknowledge the consistent effort by both Deputies Ó Laoghaire and Smith to raise this in a constructive manner. The conflict in Sudan, which has continued for over three years, is causing devastating levels of hunger and displacement. This year, two out of every three people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance. We are seriously concerned by the escalation of violence in the Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and the expected intensification of conflict in North Darfur. I attended the third 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 people in Sudan and to respond to the regional refugee crisis. Ireland will significantly increase our humanitarian assistance this year, from over €14.3 million provided in 2025 to somewhere in the region of €21 million this year. Our assistance is channelled through trusted partners, including the UN, international organisations, Irish aid organisations and, crucially, their local partners. Findings from a visit by Department officials to the Chadian-Sudanese border in January will help shape our response in addressing the complex humanitarian needs of those affected. This includes a continued focus on providing assistance to vulnerable people who are hardest to reach, including women and girls, who are seriously affected by sexual and gender-based violence. "Sexual and gender-based violence" is a term we use in these discussions but we rarely go into the detail. Having sat and met a number of survivors from the region on a visit not so long ago to the Horn of Africa, it is the most devastating conversation when you have to listen to someone who bore witness to seeing their 13-year-old niece raped by 15 men at one time in the face of their family being used as a tool of war. This is what sexual and gender-based violence is. We have a proud record in this country, led by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in her time in the Department of justice, of clamping down on domestic violence, but we are seeing it harrowingly used as a tool of war in the most depraved manner in the most vulnerable situations. That is why, in addition to addressing the humanitarian crisis and ensuring the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, it is vital to explore all avenues towards an urgent, credible and inclusive Sudanese-led political situation.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit for that response. It is harrowing to hear that level of violence towards women and girls. I commend the principled and robust measures Ireland has undertaken in this conflict. The increasing used of armed drones in Sudan and the targeting of civilian infrastructure such as the health facilities and Khartoum's international airport, are indicative of a conflict that is widening at an alarming rate. While the fighting rages, it is becoming more and more difficult to tend to the dire humanitarian needs of the Sudanese people. Just under half of the entire Sudanese people, as the Minister of State said, or some 21 million people, are facing crisis levels of hunger because of this conflict. That is why it is imperative that we, as members of the EU, use every lever at our disposal to not only advocate for financial and humanitarian supports to be made available, but to call for a negotiated and enduring ceasefire. How does the Department intend to utilise its position as Chair of the EU Foreign Affairs Council during Ireland's Presidency to ensure peace in Sudan remains firmly on the agenda?

Over the past three years, Ireland has been consistent at a Foreign Affairs Council level, be it the full Council, the development formation in which I sit, or the defence formation, in making sure Sudan is on the agenda and that does not slip from the focus of European partners. What is happening in Sudan will end up on our doorstep in due course, when we see mass movement of people, the real impact on the wider political situation and the fragility in the area, but also when we see the spread of energy and food insecurity and how that feeds in. Ireland will ensure going forward, as we take over the Presidency on 1 July, that this remains a key issue for Europe and that Europe stands by the political pressure to bring peace to the area, to ensure the blockage embargo of weapons going into the region is upheld - something that is undermined greatly, including by EU member states, I regret to say - but also, crucially, to ensure the finance from the European Union, as well as bilaterally from member states, is maintained.

That is very welcome news. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Latest figures show that almost 7 million people have been displaced by fighting in Sudan; the largest number of internally displaced people globally. Neighbouring countries impacted by this emergency such as Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, are hosting large numbers of refugees and internally displaced people on insufficient levels of humanitarian funding. To compound the problem, there is the downturn in aid funding from other countries. I acknowledge that Ireland has continued to increase funding, and the Minister of State mentioned contributed €21 million towards Sudan and towards aid this year but the overall downturn we are seeing in the international community means that dealing with displaced refugees will only become more difficult for these countries in the region. At at time some of the most developed countries in the world are slashing aid budgets, I am heartened, as we have mentioned, by the principle role Ireland continues to play in funding humanitarian causes. Is this something the Minister of State intends to build on going forward?

The short answer is "Yes" but I will give a little more detail to the context of how we do that. In recent years, Ireland's humanitarian support has included funding to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, country-based pooled fund, the UN population fund and the International Rescue Committee to target people most in need, particularly women and girls for aforementioned reasons. OCHA's Sudan pool is our largest partner in humanitarian response. This fund is a rapid and flexible funding mechanism, which supports national and international aid organisations and UN agencies to work in co-ordination with local partners to respond to chronic and emerging needs. The fund has received a major injection of funding from the US Government of €200 million. Our support to Irish Aid partner organisations including GOAL, Trócaire and Concern has enabled life-saving assistance to reach the most vulnerable communities, and we work consistently with the UN Refugee Agency, the International Committee of the Red Cross in Chad, Sudan and South Sudan. Ireland will continue to be a trusted partner. When we see development budgets being slashed by other member states it has a very real consequence. We have famine in Sudan due to the conflict there, but due to the cuts in aid and development it is harder to get a humanitarian response to starving children. We see an ebola outbreak in the DRC that is spreading in a virulent manner that is being affected by health systems that have been absolutely destroyed due to aid cuts. Our actions, or the inaction of our partners, have very real consequences that we will be dealing with for years to come.