Bernard J. Durkan
Question:61 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures, if any, he has taken to address the ongoing problem of famine in the Sudan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12584/98]
Written Answers. - Sudanese Famine.
The Government has responded quickly to the current emergency in Sudan. Fifteen years of conflict, a very poor harvest and lack of access to vulnerable communities have resulted in a serious humanitarian crisis in parts of the south of the country. The worst affected communities are in Bahr-el-Ghazal and Equatoria. Estimates vary as to the number of people in need of immediate assistance. Figures given by aid agencies range between 400,000 and 700,000 .
The Government has been actively engaged since 1994 in addressing the ongoing humanitarian emergency in southern Sudan. This is reflected in a total of £2,246,000 in food and other assistance to the people of Sudan between 1994 and 1997. This does not include the bilateral programme in northern Sudan.
As soon as the extent of the present crisis started to become clear, the Government responded quickly to humanitarian needs and took action at the political level and humanitarian levels. A total of £800,000 has been allocated in recent weeks to UN agencies and Irish NGOs to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people. The Government of Sudan allowed increased access to the affected communities following an international outcry and assistance is now beginning to reach the most needy.
However, humanitarian assistance cannot be a substitute for a political solution and I have taken a number of actions to help maintain pressure by the international community on the warring parties to come to a political settlement.
At the beginning of May, I wrote to express these concerns to the Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy, chairman of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), who brought together the Sudanese Government and the SPLA in Nairobi for peace talks earlier this month. I also pressed for early political action on Sudan at the EU General Affairs Council on Monday of this week.
A number of actions have also been taken at the humanitarian level. Minister O'Donnell and I met representatives of Irish NGOs active in southern Sudan and UNICEF on 4 May to brief them on actions being taken by the Government and to hear their views on the situation. On 7 May, the Irish Ambassador to Egypt, who is also accredited to Sudan, raised the Government's concerns about restricted humanitarian access directly with the Sudanese authorities.
At the request of Minister of State O'Donnell, the humanitarian situation in Sudan was discussed at the EU Development Council on 18 May and a number of important conclusions were agreed regarding the approach to humanitarian assistance.
As a further expression of our concern, Minister O'Donnell will visit Khartoum from 6-7 June to convey the views of the Irish Government to the Sudanese authorities, to press for continued access for humanitarian aid and to request them to work to bring about a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The Government will continue to work with the international community to ease the humanitarian crisis and to support efforts to find a peaceful political settlement.