Austin Currie
Ceist:35 Mr. Currie asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the up-to-date position on the situation in Sudan; and the current applications, if any, that are before him for humanitarian assistance projects in Sudan.
Written Answers. - Aid for Developing Countries.
Paul McGrath
Ceist:45 Mr. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the up-to-date position on the situation in Sudan; and the current applications, if any, that are before him for humanitarian assistance projects in Sudan.
Nora Owen
Ceist:51 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the up-to-date position on the situation in Sudan; and the current applications, if any, that are before him for humanitarian assistance projects in Sudan.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 45 and 51 together.
The situation in Sudan remains serious and continues to be a matter of concern to the Irish Government and to our partners in the European Union. Civil war continues unabated in the southern part of the country despite the efforts underway to try to bring an end to the fighting.
The Heads of State of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, under the mandate given to them at the Inter-Government Authority on Drought and Development, IGADD, Summit in September 1993, are seeking a negotiated and lasting solution to the conflict in Sudan. Under the IGADD initiative, a series of talks have been held between the Government of Sudan and the southern factions. The latest round of talks took place on 19 and 20 May in Nairobi and talks will resume again on 18 July. The European Union has expressed its full support for the initiative.
Ireland will continue to monitor the political situation in Sudan closely and will, together with our European Union partners, continue to lend our support to any initiative that could bring peace to Sudan. The Government is gravely concerned at the humanitarian situation in Sudan and an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs visited the region in March to assess the situation at first hand. In the light of the conclusions of the official level mission, the Government decided to disburse £515,000 from the Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Fund in support of applications received from both Irish and international aid agencies.
So far this year the Government has received a total of six appeals for emergency funding in Sudan. All of these appeals have been evaluated by my officials and positive funding decisions have been recommended in all six cases. The funding has been channelled through Irish voluntary agencies such as GOAL, Trócaire and Christian Aid for their respective emergency health and feeding programmes. In addition, we have channelled assistance to World Food Programme, UNICEF and the International Red Cross for their relief efforts in the context of Operation Lifeline Sudan. The Government continues to monitor the humanitarian situation in Sudan closely and will sympathetically consider further appeals for emergency funding.
In addition to providing humanitarian assistance and food aid, Ireland has had a bilaterial aid programme in Sudan since 1975. The projects within this programme are focused on addressing the basic development needs of rural villagers in the central state region. Assistance is being provided in such areas as primary health care, water supply, renovation of schools, clinics and hospitals, and community forestry.