The serious human rights situation in Sudan is constantly monitored by Ireland and our partners in the Twelve. The Sudanese Government has been made aware on a number of occasions of the concerns of the Community and its member states regarding the human rights situation in that country. These concerns were also made known during Ireland's Presidency of the Community. In addition, work on drawing up the programme of assistance for Sudan under the Lomé IV Convention has been postponed in the light of the serious concerns about human rights abuses there.
There have been some indications recently of a greater sensitivity on the part of the Sudanese Government to international concerns relating to human rights abuses. The Government sincerely hope that this increased sensitivity will lead to an improvement in the human rights situation in Sudan.