Ms Niamh Cooper:

South Sudan was fighting for independence from Sudan for years. There was a war and it achieved independence. Two South Sudanese leaders are now fighting for control. As an NGO we cannot say much more than that, but it is very similar to what happened here in Ireland. We cannot question what they are doing or say that they are not as civil as we are. The same thing happened in Ireland. It is to be hoped a resolution can be reached there, as was the case here.

RTÉ was with me and Mr. Cunningham in South Sudan and reported from there each day. We also appeared on "Morning Ireland". Our national broadcaster has made an effort to raise awareness of the situation.

The members here are better known than I am. I ask them please to speak about the situation as often as possible and in as many places as they can to raise awareness of this issue. They must make sure that our Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continue to prioritise it, not just through funding but, if possible, through conflict resolution. When the people of South Sudan are asked what it is they want, they do not say food or health but peace. They know that without that there will be no end to their troubles.

The majority of the people who are internally displaced are South Sudanese, but there are some people in the north of the country who have come from Sudan and are now refugees in South Sudan, which adds another layer of complexity to the situation.

The Bidi Bidi refugee camp in Uganda has had an open door policy, which is very progressive. It has provided refugees with plots of land, and we have supported those refugees in terms of trying to teach them how to look after that land. There is, however, a desperate need to help Uganda to fund this. Uganda has its own problems, so the fact that it has done this means that the rest of the world has no excuse. It definitely needs funding and support.