Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)

I am glad to finally, a year in, have the opportunity to speak on the unbelievable atrocities happening in Sudan. The degree, scale and intensity of the violence taking place in the territory is unfathomable. Since the civil war broke out in 2023, over 12 million people have been displaced and, it is estimated, another 150,000 killed. Last month, satellite images showed blood-stained streets and bodies piled high after the city of El Fasher finally fell to the Rapid Support Forces after an 18-month siege. The siege created gruelling famine conditions for the innocent people living inside the earthen walls built around the city by the paramilitary forces. The violence unleashed by the RSF when they finally beat the Sudanese army and took the city, was even worse than anticipated. There were killing sprees, summary executions, rapes, and civilians shot dead in the street. Some 460 people, including patients, healthcare workers and loved ones, were murdered in cold blood by the RSF fighters. At the main hospital in El Fasher, mere days after the city was captured, the medical facility turned into a human slaughterhouse. This particular tack by the RSF fits as part of a broader strategy of the group since the beginning of the war to target healthcare. Weaponising medicine as a terror tactic, 1,204 health workers and patients were killed and more than 400 were wounded.

The affront on humanity in Sudan knows no bounds. UNICEF released figures in March this year recording 221 rape cases against children since 2024, many of whom were under the age of five and some as young as one year old. These statistics represent only a fraction of the reality. We cannot turn away from what is happening in Sudan. The ongoing humanitarian calamity, the scenes of horror worse than any movie, have become a reality for too many innocent people. We cannot become complacent in the face of war crimes so sinister. Part of the reason this conflict has been so protracted is that it has been eclipsed by the genocide in Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite the enormous complexity of the situation, a peaceful solution is still possible. With enough international attention, both sides can be pressured to accept a sustainable ceasefire agreement. Let this be a forgotten war no longer. I urge the Minister, as she continues in her new role, to dedicate diplomatic resources to this cause to keep it on top of the agenda. Let us not be complicit in these catastrophic war crimes either. We know the UAE is pouring arms into Sudan, to the RSF specifically. Smuggled via basis in Chad, these include sophisticated Chinese drones that can strike from hundreds of miles away; artillery; and Columbian mercenaries recruited and on the UAE payroll. The UAE is actively trying to back a winner in this war in allowing these horrific acts to unfold. Who is Ireland's new best pal and trading partner? None other than the UAE. Over the past decade, exports of goods to the UAE have grown by 127%, with imports increasing by 3,094%. The total bilateral trade is now valued at more than €2.25 billion annually. We are exponentially increasing trade ties with this country and there appears to be huge oversight when it comes to human-rights due diligence.

I will end with the words of a 14-year-old constituent of mine, Holly, from Newbridge in Kildare. Holly has written to me many times on Palestine, and she is an avid campaigner. I was delighted to receive a handwritten letter from Holly last week. I encourage her to continue in her activism. Holly writes: "Please consider calling Ireland’s business and economic ties with the UAE into question, this cannot be swept under the rug."

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