Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The joint committee will hear submissions today from two groups, namely, Trócaire and Médecins Sans Frontières, on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in South Kordofan and South Sudan. I welcome Mr. Maurice McQuillan, humanitarian manager at Trócaire, Ms Jane-Ann McKenna, head of office at Médecins Sans Frontières, who has previously appeared before the committee, and Dr. Simon Collins, chairman, Médecins Sans Frontières.

The committee has been kept informed by both organisations of the gravity of the situation in the region of South Kordofan and the Blue Nile area in particular. We are deeply concerned about the need to alleviate the humanitarian situation by ensuring unhindered humanitarian access. A ceasefire and moves by Sudan and South Sudan to resolve outstanding issues between them are essential if longer term stability is to be restored. Members will be aware that the joint committee wrote to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Gilmore, at the end of July endorsing specific recommendations as proposed by Trócaire. The Tánaiste has assured the committee that he shares our concerns and that he will continue to emphasise the urgent need for humanitarian access to civilians and supports the recommendations which I referred to. I know all present will welcome the fact that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has provided €6 million in terms of humanitarian support this year and is ready to provide further support to humanitarian organisations working on the ground. I also raised the issue of the Blue Nile and what is happening in South Sudan with Baroness Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the foreign affairs chairpersons' meeting in Cyprus two weeks ago. The High Representative stated there is huge concern about what is happening and work in the region is ongoing.

Members of the committee who travelled to Ethiopia last year will recall the refugees from the Blue Nile region with whom we met at the border with South Sudan and their harrowing stories of what they had to endure in the Togo refugee camp. That is almost 12 months ago. The situation has deteriorated since then. The committee was also told some time ago at an informal meeting with a priest involved in Trócaire of the deteriorating situation in the region owing to a conflict in regard to petroleum. We heard harrowing stories of what the refugees had to endure, their long journeys to refugee camps and the problems they experienced with the army and so on in terms of human rights.

The committee will hear first from the witness from Trócaire and then from the witnesses from Médecins Sans Frontières, following which I will allow questions from members. Before I invite the groups to make their presentations, I draw their attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give this committee. However, if directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. Witnesses are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise nor make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

I now invite Mr. Maurice McQuillan to address the committee.

Mr. Maurice McQuillan:

When I landed on 1 June last at Yida refugee camp on the airstrip in Unity State in the north of South Sudan I was lucky to meet Sr. Lucy Rocio, a Mexican-born Comboni missionary sister in her 30s who was heading back up through Yida to Gidel hospital in South Kordofan. When I asked her about the situation in Gidel hospital she gave me a plethora of statistics. However, her eyes lit up when she talked about her special patient for the past two months, a 12 year old boy called Kalo who was the victim of an Antonov bomb and who, rather than having the usual type of shrapnel injuries that would go with that, was severely burned by the radiant heat when the bomb landed near him. Sr. Rocio described to me the stench she and the staff endured as they tried to change his bandages and cut away the dead tissue and rebandage him. She said he was one of the most stoic children she had ever nursed and that while he rarely cries, changing the bandages is sometimes too much for him and he and the staff cry. Towards the end of June, when I was back in Ireland I received a short message informing me that Kalo had died. He went into shock and although they tried to keep him alive and urged him not to give up he could not hang on. Members will see a picture of Sr. Rocio and Kalo on the front of the short handout which I have provided. That is the reality of life and death for Sr. Rocio and the people of the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan.

Indiscriminate aerial bombing means that children get killed.

I will give a quick update on the current position and refer to the two maps in the presentation. On 9 July 2011, south Sudanese independence was declared, with border demarcation disputes continuing after that, including disputes over oil revenues. Not everybody is aware that a state of active violent conflict continues within the borders of north Sudan, particularly the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan. The conflict is primarily between the Sudanese Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North. Since our last informal meeting with some members of this committee, the public profile of the position in South Kordofan has changed but the reality for most families living there has not. On the same day as our last meeting, Baroness Valerie Amos, head of the UN office for humanitarian co-ordination and assistance, issued a statement expressing the UN's deep concern about the deteriorating position in Sudan, particularly in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, where hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped in the conflict zone, with little access to food, water, shelter and medical services.

I considered a number of statistics in this regard and according to the UN population census of 2010, the population of South Kordofan is 2.5 million people. A conflict such as this causes people to flee, becoming refugees outside the country or internally displaced people within. The UN estimates that the population affected by the conflict stands at 520,000 people, with the total number of refugees in south Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia from South Kordofan estimated at 252,000. The number of internally displaced people within the Nuba Mountains is roughly estimated at 70,000.

This leaves 198,000 of the affected population within the Nuba Mountains unaccounted for. These are the people who have been badly affected by the ongoing conflict, and they are feeling the effects of the aerial bombardment, current flooding, high malnutrition rates and the associated food insecurity. These men, women and children are affected by the 27 separate incidents logged of serious conflict in the past two months, which range from shelling to aerial bombardment and open conflict between the warring parties. As a result of hunger, many of these people had to eat the seeds they should have been planting in June and July this year. They are the people who were afraid to go into the fields and plant whatever seeds they had not eaten because they feared the Antonov planes would bomb or fighter jets would strafe the open fields. The harvest has been severely affected not by drought or crop disease, as in other areas of Africa, but rather people's fear of going into the open because of a sustained bombing campaign. The Famine Early Warning System, FEWS-NET, estimates that over 200,000 people now face a crisis at emergency levels with regard to food insecurity. That position will deteriorate as long as the conflict persists and current restrictions on humanitarian access continue. Trócaire is working with these people in the Nuba Mountains and we want the Government to help them.

There are photographs detailing what Trócaire is doing in the presentation. Since June 2011, Trócaire has been working with the diocese of El Obeid to keep Gidel hospital in the Nuba Mountains open and deal with food insecurity in and around the area. The first phase ran from June to January last year, with a budget of €1 million. Trócaire supplied programme management and practical logistical support to the diocesan staff, as well as co-ordinating the fund-raising effort. The first phase focused on medical supplies for the hospital, food and cooking utensils for the sick and wounded in the hospital. There were also limited food supplies for general distribution in the Gidel area.

The second phase, running up to this December, involves scaling up the budget to €2 million. Relief flights with medical supplies have continued and we are also providing 188 metric tonnes of food, hygiene and cooking items to approximately 38,000 people. This is a drop in the ocean when one considers the 500,000 people affected by the conflict and the large-scale operation south of the border. For the 38,000 men, women and children, it is a very important drop in the ocean. We are calling for greater access for larger humanitarian organisations in South Kordofan.

This is probably one of the most complex, difficult and risky operations that Trócaire has been involved with since Biafra. Many areas in South Kordofan are in open, violent conflict, and the big issue within South Kordofan is access. All the big humanitarian agencies have either been thrown out or denied access, and the added value we can bring comes from church structures and facilities, which remain in place, as well as committed and dedicated professional medical staff in Gidel hospital. It is nonetheless difficult. This summer I travelled to the UN headquarters in New York for confidential talks at a high level. I am well aware that what we are doing is a risky business but I am convinced we are doing the right thing. The bottom line from a humanitarian perspective is that saving lives and alleviating suffering in and around Gidel hospital must take precedence.

What can the joint committee, which has been supportive of the efforts to date, do about South Kordofan? The committee can request the appropriate Minister to raise the Sudan issue as an agenda item at the EU Council foreign affairs meeting on 15 October. That would be a continuation of the call by the EU Council on 23 July. The committee can also request that the Minister maintain pressure, as necessary, at both general affairs and foreign affairs meetings throughout the Irish Presidency of the EU from January 2013.

The committee can request the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, in his role as chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, to advocate to fellow members with regard to the opening of South Kordofan to humanitarian access for both the UN agencies in the north as well as agencies such as Trócaire and other international non-governmental organisation which can support and assist families from the north and south. The committee can also continue to advocate with the Sudanese Government for the full implementation of the recent memorandum of understanding for humanitarian access to South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Committee members can engage directly with parliamentarians and colleagues in the European Parliament through the various pan-European parties so that the Sudanese issue and the current humanitarian crisis in South Kordofan is placed on the agenda of the equivalent of foreign affairs parliamentary committees across Europe. They can also engage directly as parliamentarians and humanitarians with counterparts in the US and other G8 and G20 countries, including Brazil, Russia, India and China, asking for practical support in exerting whatever influence is possible on the two parties to the conflict to complete the political negotiations under the UN Security Council resolution. The fighting must be stopped before humanitarian access becomes possible, and that leaves the last step of political negotiations, which can be protracted. Our experience in Northern Ireland indicates that the first step is to stop the fighting.

We are talking about 500,000 people affected by a crisis, with approximately 200,000 unaccounted for in South Kordofan. In the 21st century we cannot stand by and accept the indiscriminate bombing of civilians. We should not stand by and see hunger being used as a weapon of war. We must not tolerate more horrific deaths of children like Kalo. I do not apologise for relating how his injuries were described by Sister Rocio, as he had third degree burns to 40% of his body. Instead of the beautiful black skin that is characteristic of his people, his skin was a melted mass of white, red, black and green colours. It was green because the tissue was so gangrenous. Sister Rocio attempted to nurse him back to health but he died on 20 June this year at 10 a.m., with his crime being to stand 5,000 feet below an Antonov bomber when it indiscriminately released its load. We are asking the committee to engage on the South Kordofan issue in order to prevent more deaths of children like Kalo.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Thank you, Mr. McQuillan, for your very humane contribution on behalf of the people of South Sudan.

Ms Jane-Ann McKenna:

I thank the committee for inviting us to this meeting. As it is our first time to appear before the committee I will begin with a short overview of Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF, and the type of work it does. I will then discuss our current intervention in South Sudan and, in particular, the humanitarian crisis currently faced by the refugees who have fled the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. I am joined by our chairman, Dr. Simon Collins, who have been with MSF for over eight years. He has spent over two and a half years in South Sudan.

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international emergency medical aid organisation that was established over 40 years ago. It has been established in Ireland since 2006. Our primary objective is providing emergency life-saving care to victims of war, conflict and any disease outbreaks. We often work in places where there are no other aid organisations or where organisations choose not to go. We are independent, non-political, non-religious and primarily privately funded. We received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for our work. The key principle of MSF is to speak out on behalf of those who have no voice, particularly to speak about what we know and what we have witnessed on the ground. As we implement all the programmes ourselves we are in a key position to relay the messages we hear from our patients in the hospitals.

MSF is present in over 65 countries throughout the world, including places such as Syria, Somalia and South Sudan. Our annual budget is approximately €900 million per year. Thousands of Irish donors are funding our projects overseas and every year we send out Irish volunteers to the fields, including doctors, surgeons and nurses. Currently, there are two Irish expats working with us in South Sudan with this refugee crisis.

One of the reasons I mention the size of MSF operations is to put the refugee crisis in South Sudan into context. This is the largest MSF emergency intervention this year. We have allocated a budget of over €20 million for the camps in Upper Nile and Unity states alone. As members will see from the briefing paper I have circulated, there are almost 170,000 refugees scattered across five refugee camps in the region. Today, all of these refugees are 100% dependent on humanitarian aid for their survival. The health situation of the refugees has varied from poor to catastrophic over the last few months and it has been nearly a year since they first began to arrive. This is due to the difficulty of the situation, the insufficiency of the international aid effort and the fact that the camps have yet to provide adequate refuge for them. At present, we are running hospitals, mobile clinics and outreach services in all five camps treating malnutrition, infections and disease, as well as running vaccination campaigns. The gravity of the situation has pushed MSF to work in other areas including locating, treating and distributing water, which is not usually our key response.

In July, we conducted a mortality survey in Yida camp, which is in Unity state. This showed a mortality rate of four deaths per 10,000 people per day among children under five years of age. This is twice the emergency threshold. That means approximately five children were dying per day in Yida, mainly from diarrhoea and severe infections. These are treatable illnesses with the right care. A nutrition survey carried out in Batil camp at the same time found that nearly 50% of the children under three years old were malnourished. Both of these surveys indicate a catastrophic health situation in the camps. The camps are ill prepared and lack sufficient resources to deal with the high level of need that exists. In light of this, MSF, along with other organisations, has had to scale up its response immensely over the last two months to bring the situation back to what is now considered a normal emergency level. However, our medical teams continue to see the consequences of inadequate aid provision, particularly in water and infrastructure. This can be seen in the recent hepatitis E outbreak which happened in all the camps in the Upper Nile area.

For the refugee camps within South Sudan the only blockages to access are remoteness and logistical constraints. It is a notoriously difficult place in which to work. It is expensive and it is extremely difficult to get the right supplies and transport them in. All organisations, including MSF, have been taken by surprise by the sheer number of people crossing the border and the scale of the crisis. The response from the international community has been slow and inadequate. Relief operations must now be scaled up and maintained. Any reduction in the response or change in the situation on the ground could tip the conditions in the camps back to catastrophic levels again. Contingency plans must also be put in place to deal with new arrivals, which are highly anticipated at the end of the rainy season in the next month or two.

I have spoken mainly about the precarious situation within the camps in the Upper Nile and Unity states. However, the situation in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan must be mentioned as well. Unfortunately, we cannot say much about that situation. Essentially, we do not know what is happening on the other side of the border, particularly in the Blue Nile state. We are unable to work there. All we know is that 170,000 people have fled and have recounted harrowing stories about the level of violence and conflict they have encountered in their regions and homes. We must ask why independent humanitarian aid organisations are not allowed to work in this region and why nobody knows what is happening on the ground. MSF is deeply concerned about the health and safety of the people in both the Blue Nile and South Kordofan. More must be done to ensure that independent humanitarian relief is given to those who need it most.

I ask the committee to raise the current crisis in South Sudan, which I detailed in the briefing paper I circulated, and the need for independent humanitarian aid in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states as a matter of priority for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Thank you. I compliment both groups on their very informative briefing papers. They are excellent and demonstrate to committee members the level of participation in that region and the work they do there, which we very much appreciate.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Initially, I compliment the Chairman on raising this matter with Commissioner Ashton at the last meeting of the chairpersons of the foreign affairs committees of the member states of the European Union. It was important that he took that opportunity to raise it at that level.

I join the Chairman in welcoming the representatives of MSF and Trócaire. I compliment them on the briefing papers they provided and on the content of their presentations. Both the Chairman and the two witnesses used the word "gravity" on a number of occasions. The presentations are very graphic regarding the serious situation in that region which is, unfortunately, deteriorating since July 2011. The problems of access, displaced persons, unaccounted- for persons and the food insecurity facing so many hundreds of thousands of people are grave issues and they must be amplified in every forum, be it through parliaments or by Ministers in the different forums in which they have an opportunity to participate.

The requests made by Trócaire and MSF are very reasonable. They ask us to ensure - this will be no problem with the Tánaiste - that this issue is kept on the agenda for the latter half of this year at the foreign affairs Council and in Ireland's forthcoming EU Presidency.

When Ireland has the chair of the OSCE, there is an opportunity to use that forum. Every opportunity must be used. The witnesses point out that all Oireachtas Members have colleagues who are Members of the European Parliament and members of groups within it. It is easy for all of us to make contact with our fellow party members to ensure they raise the issue within particular forums such as the European Parliament and its committee meetings.

I compliment the witnesses and particularly their colleagues working in dangerous situations. The description of their situation makes clear the challenges, tasks and difficulties facing people in the field. They are doing excellent work in challenging circumstances.

Mr. McQuillan mentioned the 500,000 people directly affected and that 200,000 people are unaccounted for. Can we have a breakdown of how the 500,000 people are affected in different ways?

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I was going to ask the witnesses about the agricultural situation but Mr. McQuillan has dealt with the background of that. In the absence of a conflict in the region, is it sustainable for the population to feed itself? I do not know much about southern Sudan.

How has the African Union-appointed mediator, Thabo Mbeki, performed in his role? Has he brought the two sides closer to a deal? Discussions are going on but, as we know from our history, peace is not an event but part of a process. Will the current talks in Addis Ababa get the process back on track? What are the primary stumbling blocks in the process? Is it the funding of Nuba rebels by South Sudan and ethnic militias by Sudan and is this on the agenda of the talks? As we have seen from other parts of the world, a key bone of contention appears to be the oil pipeline fee. Will the two sides agree a common fee or will it remain a bone of contention? The price of oil is fluctuating. Can the international body review this point of dispute?

I welcome the fact that the witnesses mentioned Kalo. We need to put a human face on the conflict around the world. The witnesses mentioned this is a risky business and I ask them to elaborate. There is an increased danger for the staff of these organisations working in the region. What can be done to maintain security? Has the SPLM shown a commitment to human rights and democracy since it took formal control? These are all major questions and I will be happy if the witnesses can answer one.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses for their presentation of the case. The first point that strikes us is the magnitude of the task. There are 160,000 refugees in camps in extremely hostile territory that is clearly affected by the weather conditions. Committee members will follow up in our own ways with the Tánaiste and our colleagues in the European Parliament. To what extent has the mediator had a positive influence to date? Is it possible to use more persuasive diplomatic methods to convince the warring factions, with Northern Sudan being a serious perpetrator, of the error of their ways? Appealing to their better nature does not appear to work. I am not happy about going down the road of sanctions but someone must be supplying them with materials to carry out warfare. It may be helpful to know who is supplying material, for how long and who is providing funding. Across Europe, funds are hard to come by, particularly for one country and in light of the amount of funding required for an operation of this nature. Can the witnesses give us any useful information in our attempts to pursue the matter with the Tánaiste and the relevant international authorities with a view to alleviating some of the negative impact? This is separate to the point about humanitarian aid in what is an extremely dangerous place. It does not go unnoticed by the perpetrators, who are fully aware that, by ratcheting up the danger, they will squeeze people out of the area. It is to their advantage if they want to carry on what they are doing.

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I thank both organisations for their contributions. I now have a clear understanding of the situation from the maps provided. To a layperson, it is a complicated area. As an Irish citizen, I felt the Sudanese issue was portrayed on television and radio as being resolved, in that 99% of people in South Sudan agreed in a plebiscite to declare independence. I was mystified by people declaring their independence when borders have not yet been defined. It is a criticism of the international community, which progressed the independence programme, that people were voting to create a country when the borders were not yet defined. I presume it is within the border region that humanitarian difficulties arise. The reason for this is oil, the lack of borders and the body of men and women from the region described as the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, SPLM-N. According to the maps, they control much of the area in the mountains being strafed by Sudanese jets. To what extent is this a continuing war between Sudan and the forces of the militias operating in south Kordofan? Is there an up-to-date position on the ongoing talks in Addis Ababa between the presidents to alleviate the problems? Apparently the issues are border demarcation, creating a safe demilitarised zone, citizenship rights and the allocation of Sudan's national debt.

I praise people who move into such terribly dangerous arenas. The figures in the refugee camps are stark, with 55,000 refugees in the Yida camp. Those of us in the West, who live in houses, find it hard to imagine 55,000 people living under canvas in very poor terrain, which is prone to flooding. There are also other camps with similar problems.

As a country, we have put €30 million into the Sudanese region. Recently, we have been giving smaller sums for particular projects. As a small country with economic difficulties, we should be applauded for the work we are doing.

Often when one meet delegations such as these, one almost feels panic that people will die unless we resolve complex problems. Along with Médecins Sans Frontiéres and Trócaire, who else is out there? Presumably, they are not the only humanitarian groups in the region. Am I right in presuming there are thousands of other volunteers and agencies from around the world, from the United Nations to the African Union? Is it a particularly western activity to provide aid? Do very profitable and economically viable African nations have agencies like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Trócaire or whatever? Are we talking in a vacuum? Is there a wider picture at which we must look of other countries doing as much if not more than what we do as a tiny little island country in economic decline?

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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I will be brief because many of the comments I would make have been made. I pay tribute to the delegates for their presentations and, more significantly, to their colleagues who are working in the field at great personal risk. I think Mr. McQuillan said it was akin to Biafra which was a highly dangerous situation.

I am concerned by the indiscriminate nature of what is happening, in particular the bombings. It is terrible to see young children being put in the firing line and innocent civilians being killed as a consequence of the indiscriminate approach. Civil war can be very difficult. That is very pertinent to an issue raised at this committee previously in regard to the arms trade treaty. Have we written to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and if so, have we received a response in that regard? We asked that he would do everything he could to achieve completion of, and agreement on, that. Full agreement was narrowly prevented by the US, in particular, and by Russia, to a lesser extent, at the negotiations last June.

There was a field mission last year. The Department raised the issue of the peace dividend and the need for some post-war development in the area of schools, health clinics, safe water, infrastructure and so on. If one's life is at risk, and using Maslow's hierarchy of needs, survival is what is important. When one is at that stage, all these other aspects are not the focus. Is anything happening in that area which would give some optimism that stability can be provided?

I formally propose that we run with the recommendations made to us and that we request the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to raise the Sudan situation as an agenda item at the EU Council, that it is pursued during our Presidency of the EU and that he raises it in his capacity of chairman of the OSCE. There is a parliamentary assembly meeting of the OSCE at the end of next week and I will raise it at that.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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That is good. Co-operation is what it is all about. I am delighted Senator Walsh will raise this at the OSCE parliamentary assembly because it comprises 54 countries. Deputy Neville has a special interest in this area because he met some of the refugees.

Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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When visiting Ethiopia last year, we visited one of the camps so we have first-hand knowledge of the experience of people who were forced to leave their jobs and businesses, whose families were broken up, who had to go through wooded areas because of the fear of exposure to air strikes and who had to travel on foot for months with children. I was impressed by the resilience of those people. We spent several hours with them and saw the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees doing some excellent work.

One would have to reflect on the fact that we saw canvas tents suitable for approximately three people with maybe 12 or 15 people in them. People, especially young girls, expressed their worry and discomfort with the situation they were experiencing. It is necessary that we do all the things we do here but one cannot fully comprehend the situation without being there and talking to people about their experiences. All one man wanted to do was to get back to his village and open his business again. Other people did not know where members of their families were and whether they were alive. They said everything was broken up because the troops came and people just scattered. If somebody was away when people had to flee, they did not know what happened to that person. That is the human aspect of it.

It is important to keep people's attention on this because attention will move away from a difficult situation as people get accustomed to hearing the same story. We had experience of that with the Troubles in the North of Ireland when people said, "Not the North again" even though people were dying. One must be very careful to ensure the subject is fully understood and is kept in the focus of international attention. What is the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees doing in the two camps mentioned? What involvement has it? It was very good to us when we visited the camp in Ethiopia.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the delegations from Trócaire and, in particular, Médecins Sans Frontiéres, who are paying their first visit to the committee. I am sure it will be the first of many visits. The picture painted was a very human one of great suffering and deprivation and one which must be of grave concern to us all. I very much applaud the amazing work which has been done over the years in areas of conflict by organisations like Trócaire and Médecins Sans Frontiéres. We should never forget the wonderful volunteers who work in very difficult circumstances to try to improve the lot of the less fortunate on our behalf.

The picture painted is particularly grim, with little sign of improvement. The number of people who are unaccounted for, the 200,000 people who are in dire circumstances and the inability of people to sow crops for fear of being killed in the fields is intolerable. It is a very complex political situation which I do not understand.

Deputy Neville gave a very human description of his visit there. Is any progress being made? What is happening on a day-to-day basis on the ground to try to improve the situation and bring an end to the violence and killing?

I support Senator Walsh in urging us to adopt the proposals put before us. I have no doubt the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade will take the opportunity to raise the situation at every forum in which he has influence. We must ask, however, if that is enough. Where are the more powerful nations and what are they doing? We have seen figures that indicate when it comes to putting their hands in their pockets, some of the wealthier nations lag behind what we in Ireland are prepared to do for the less fortunate. What should we do about that to put pressure on the more powerful nations to play their part in bringing an end to the conflict and improving the lot of the people in South Sudan?

I thank the witnesses for a very insightful presentation. The danger is that some of these areas of conflict can go off the radar from time to time when difficulties arise elsewhere and the media lose interest. It is important we retain focus on what is happening on the ground and I wish the witnesses continued success and assure them of our continued support in their work for the less fortunate.

Members are well briefed because we have had a number of informal meetings on this in recent months. George Clooney highlighted the situation when he protested in the US Congress in Washington after his visit to the region. The situation is difficult in South Sudan; it is hard for NGOs to even traverse the region because of the terrain, which makes it difficult to get aid in and out for those unfortunate people.

Mr. Maurice McQuillan:

I suspect the members of the committee are probably more expert politically and economically than any of us so they might be better placed than a group of humanitarians to answer some of the questions themselves.

Deputy Smith asked about numbers. In the paper I distributed I restricted the information to some photographs and text. I could have given a ten-page paper but if anyone wants further detail, I will supply it.

Deputy Crowe asked some interesting questions, particularly about this being a process. That is why we want to keep it on the agenda. This is not a matter that will be solved today or tomorrow. When I went to New York during the summer I got a clear impression from the highest levels that this was the case. That is why we are keen to keep humanitarian efforts that are happening there on the radar, particularly in South Kordofan, tricky though it may be. It will not be solved in a hurry and that is why we must keep it on the agenda. I do not want to go into detail on the question of its being a risky business in this forum but I would be happy to follow up elsewhere.

There was a question about the SPLM, a movement, and the SPLA, an army. They are closely linked. The SPLM-North fought with the SPLM during the civil war but they are separate and have different aspirations. To an extent they see themselves as northerners but not under the present circumstances. It is complicated.

The Government of Sudan controls the air and the SPLA controls the ground. Economically, the allies of North Sudan provide them with money so they can buy jets and the allies of the SPLA provide them with money so they have better ground equipment. As a result there is a stalemate, with the SPLA North winning all ground battles but unable to advance much further because the air is controlled by the Sudanese Government.

There is room for optimism on a mediator following the memorandum of understanding for humanitarian access to South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. It is one thing having a memorandum, but it is another to have it implemented. It is easy to sign up to it during the rainy season when very little can happen anyway. The full implementation of the memorandum and the follow-up will be crucial, but there has already been some rhetoric that may indicate a pulling back from it.

The levers are economic in the north and from reports we can see some changes. We must then look at who has the economic influence. It is no different from many other areas of Africa.

To finish on an optimistic note, conflict is not endemic or historical in this region, particularly South Kordofan. There are animists, Christians and Muslims who traditionally have lived together in peace and harmony in one village. That is part of the tragedy; politics and political aspirations have pushed this to the forefront when traditionally people have lived together quite happily. That gives us room for hope.

Ms Jane-Anne McKenna:

As Mr. McQuillan said in response to Deputy Durkan's question on the security situation and the different factions, we are not in a position to comment on what is happening at that level. Although these things are happening, our priority is that we must be on the ground to treat those affected by this. That is our key priority: regardless of where they are, we should have access to them. I have highlighted the camp situation in South Sudan because we have full access there but the international community has been slow to respond and put in place the necessary resources for those who are there now, and have been there for up to a year. There are moves under way outside the humanitarian perspective but there is still a huge amount of work to be done to alleviate suffering.

Deputy Byrne alluded to some of the other organisations working on the ground. We are in the camps in the Upper Nile region; we are the largest medical actor there and we run all the medical activities in the different camps. The UNHCR is responsible for camp management and has been co-ordinating with its implementing partners but we have come across the issue of commitments made by implementing partners not being fulfilled, such as the commitments for water and sanitation infrastructure. That is a result of the implementing partners not having enough resources or funding to carry out the work they have committed to. As a result there is a backlog in service provision and we stepped in to fill the gap.

Senator Walsh spoke about the development element of South Sudan a year after independence and asked if the region itself could develop in a sustainable fashion. The terrain where the camps are located is very inhospitable. It is also difficult to deal with 170,000 people.

That is the reason we mentioned the contingency planning element. Although we know there may be more refugees coming after the rainy season, there is still no contingency planning being done to consider where the 170,000 people will go in advance of the next rainy season. Since June a number of the camps have become flooded and as a direct result we have seen the outbreak of disease. Contingency planning is needed. We in MSF have noted that South Sudan has been in a constant state of emergency for the past 20 to 30 years. There is a need for an effort both on the development side and on the emergency side, which must happen in parallel. With the onset of independence it became evident that development could really ramp up, which is great, but it should not be forgotten that emergency needs must be met as well. We advocate that there should still be sufficient funds invested in the emergency element to deal with the daily ongoing crises as well as the development aspect.

One of the reasons that scale-up has been slow is that a number of the organisations working on the ground are engaged in more developmental activities and so it is very difficult to switch gears automatically into emergency mode. We know it is difficult for people to engage in more emergency activity at ground level. I know Senator Michael Mullins referred to other more powerful governments that could potentially have more influence in this region. One of the reasons it is important to highlight this to the Irish Government is that MSF is known as an independent neutral organisation which is impartial to government influence. We recognise that Irish Aid has been supporting us. Irish Aid has a number of programmes and is very independent in terms of the aid that it distributes on the ground. It is key for us, when discussing these issues with the relevant governments, that there is no agenda arising from the situation on the ground and that we are advocating from a humanitarian perspective for the priorities that need to be met. There should be no other agenda in terms of the situation in the north and south of Sudan.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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May we have a short briefing on the current situation in Syria? I see that the international chairperson of MSF said it was the worst humanitarian crisis he has ever seen. I know that MSF is working very hard in Syria.

Ms Jane-Ann McKenna:

We announced in the past month or so that we have been running operations in Syria. We currently have three hospitals in the country. We have not disclosed the location of these hospitals because it is a clandestine operation. We do not have permission to work in the country so we have been using whatever means possible to try to get treatment to people. We have been able to set up these makeshift hospitals to treat the war-wounded in Syria. We hope to expand operations as we can in Syria, but the situation is precarious. We are continuously advocating for access into Syria as well. We have failed to receive official permission to expand our operations.

We have operations running for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon and, in particular, we have mental health services for them in Lebanon, as mental health services have been identified as one of the greatest needs for those arriving from Syria. In Jordan we are running a surgical referral system in Amman. We are referring urgent cases that are coming out of Syria to our surgical facility in Amman. We are engaging with a network of doctors in Syria to try to provide supplies and resources where they need them to treat people.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I thank Ms McKenna for that update on the activities of MSF in Syria. I am sure we will be returning to that shortly as the humanitarian situation worsens.

I am sure members will agree with me that there is no reason we cannot go ahead and support the request from MSF and Trócaire. We will raise the matter with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to ensure the situation in South Sudan is on the agenda for the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 15 October 2012. My understanding from our adviser is that it is on the agenda. We will reinforce our concerns about Sudan following this meeting.

Our second request to the Tánaiste relates to his role as chairman of the OSCE. Senator Walsh agreed to raise that at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly of 56 countries. We will ensure the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade raises it at any meeting he attends. One of the largest gatherings of foreign affairs Ministers will take place here in December for the conclusion of our chairmanship of the OSCE. We will try to ensure that South Sudan is on the agenda for that meeting as well. If we have any informal meetings with Ministers, we will raise that issue with them as well.

In addition, we will contact our 16 MEPs in the European Parliament and request them to raise the issue. We have a close relationship with the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. The German MEP Mr. Elmar Brok is the chairman of that committee and we will write to him to ensure it will be put on the agenda. We will engage indirectly as parliamentarians with our counterparts in the US and in the G8, G20 and BRIC countries. Those of us who meet ambassadors from time to time will raise it with the ambassadors from those countries. As the representatives of MSF suggested, we will raise the plight of the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions as a matter of priority with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

I thank the delegation for coming before the committee and updating us on the deteriorating humanitarian situation. Obviously the weather is playing havoc with the situation and this is added to the difficult terrain. We can assure Trócaire and MSF that we will keep the humanitarian problem on the agenda and get updates from time to time. We will keep the organisation informed of what is happening. We will continue to ensure the situation in the region receives the attention I believe it deserves.

Mr. Maurice McQuillan:

I do not want to leave without acknowledging the engagement of Irish Aid on this issue. We recently received €150,000 from it and Irish Aid has been advocating on our behalf. I neglected to respond to one of Deputy Eric Byrne's questions on the engagement of local NGOs. Our approach, first and foremost, is to try to work through local organisations. The problem in South Sudan is that civil society is weak, with illiteracy rates up to 70% or 80% in places. We work with local partners from the church, from outside the church and from civil society. It is a struggle. We have a humanitarian element and a governance and human element and both have their own challenges.

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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We are a small country but Irish Aid does phenomenal work. Some of the countries in Africa are now well developed and their economic status is growing internationally.

Does their continent have versions of its own of Trócaire and Médecins Sans Frontières? Do our guests work alongside such organisations or does their work involve a Western concept of aid and assistance?

Mr. Maurice McQuillan:

Our default position is to work alongside local non-governmental organisations. Only in extraordinary circumstances do we put vast numbers of northerners on the ground. However, our default position can present challenges. In large humanitarian crises, for example, one must revert to using the technical expertise those from the north can bring. However, we tend to revert to working with what is available in the area, as that will remain after we have left.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Does Ms McKenna wish to add something?

Ms Jane-Ann McKenna:

We differ slightly from Trócaire, in that we implement all of our own programmes. Although we have large operations in 65 countries, we employ more than 30,000 national staff across our projects. Although Médecins Sans Frontières is a Western organisation working in Africa and elsewhere, the percentage of expatriate and international staff engaging in our activities on the ground is small.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I thank our guests for appearing before us. The African Union assists in its own area.