Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

Today, the BBC reported on an interview it had with a man who escaped the last functioning hospital in the Sudanese city of El Fasher before a reported massacre by paramilitary troops. Abdu-Rabbu Ahmed, who was a laboratory technician in the maternity hospital, told the BBC, "I have lost my colleagues". He said, "I have lost the people whose faces I used to see smiling" and that it "feels as if you lost a big part of your body or your soul". Other Members have addressed what is happening in Sudan today, which is without doubt one of the gravest humanitarian crises of our time. It is a catastrophic conflict. More importantly, it has been easy to think of it as a distant tragedy but it is not. If anything, it is a moral imperative for all of us who believe in human dignity and international law. Sadly, it is one of many conflicts taking place around the world today that need to be front and centre in our minds.

As other colleagues have noted, the situation in Sudan is the world's worst humanitarian and protection crisis. The numbers have been rehearsed a number of times in the Chamber, with more than 150,000 lives lost, 12 million people forcibly displaced and 21 million facing crisis levels of hunger, including famine. These numbers represent families torn apart, communities destroyed and people's futures eradicated and disappeared in front of their very eyes. In an age when there is a constant information flow to our phones, sometimes I believe there is a perception that our human sensibilities can become desensitised to unspeakable horror and the inhuman practices and behaviours that seem to be endlessly documented, not least those reported and shown to us from Sudan.

On a personal level, I am sure I share with all colleagues the absolute disdain, distaste and horror at the deliberate targeting of civilians by all parties to the conflict. In El Fasher, across north Darfur and in Kordofan, we have seen appalling atrocities, including ethnically motivated killings, systematic sexual and gender-based violence, and starvation used as a weapon of war. Most chillingly, there is the obstruction of humanitarian aid. These acts are clear breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law. They are war crimes and crimes against humanity and must be called out as such.

Accountability must be at the heart of our response. I am proud to have raised this matter in the Chamber a number of times over the past year. I am happy to see that Ireland, alongside the UK, the Netherlands and Norway, succeeded in ensuring the adoption of a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council earlier this month. This resolution mandates an urgent inquiry into these violations through the independent fact-finding mission in Sudan.

The impunity that seems to exist must end.

As a country, we have taken a leading role internationally. We were the Government that initiated the discussions which led to the EU sanctions regime and we successfully called for Sudan to be placed on the agenda of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Last week, the EU adopted further restrictive measures against Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF's second in command. I am enthused by the fact the EU stands ready to impose further measures on all actors responsible for destabilising Sudan and obstructing its political transition, but sanctions alone are not enough. We need to ensure unhindered humanitarian access. I am proud Ireland has provided over €14 million in humanitarian assistance this year to support communities in Sudan and those displaced in neighbouring countries. This funding, which is being channelled through UN agencies, the Red Cross, Irish NGOs and local organisations, delivers the food, medical supplies and lifesaving aid that is pivotal to these communities. I am pleased we are committed to continuing this assistance in 2026.

The protection of civilians cannot wait for a ceasefire. Humanitarian and medical workers must be safeguarded and civilians who wish to leave besieged cities must be granted a safe passage. There are obligations under international law and they must be respected and upheld. In the longer term, only a Sudanese-led political process that is inclusive can address the grievances that have led to this conflict. I am sure the EU, with Ireland playing its part, will continue to support the dialogue among Sudanese civilian political groups in close collaboration - and this is important - with the African Union and other partners.

The sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Sudan, like any nation state, must be preserved. Attempts not to address or undermine this will only deepen the crisis, and without doubt, external interference must end. However, this is also the moment when the institutions established to stop this ever happening again must step up. The rules of our international order and our common humanity need to be vindicated and the guardians thereof need to be bold in that vindication. This is not just about Sudan, it is about the values we stand for: human rights, justice and solidarity.

I am sure Ireland will continue to speak out, to act and lead, to work with our EU and international partners to demand an end to the violence, to ensure accountability and to deliver hope to the people of Sudan in a Sudanese-led process. The violence must end, the suffering must end and we need to make sure we play our part to make that happen.

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