Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 304: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the situation regarding the Darfur region of Sudan; and the action his Department is taking to assist in resolving the humanitarian crisis in this region. [4634/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The situation in Darfur remains dire, and the suffering of its people continues unabated. The fracturing of the main rebel groups over the past year makes the pursuit of peace even more difficult. The peace talks on Darfur which the UN and African Union are mediating represent a vital window of opportunity to bring about a lasting peace, and all of the parties bear a responsibility to use this opportunity to seek to resolve their grievances peacefully. So far, the process has been disappointingly slow. The UN and AU have sent emissaries to find and speak with the rebels who have been boycotting the talks, and it is hoped that formal talks will restart soon. The international community is supporting AU and UN efforts, and bilaterally Ireland has contributed €500,000 to the UN Trust Fund in support of the peace talks.

Although peace will not come to Darfur until a political accommodation has been reached, UNAMID, the AU/UN hybrid force, has a role to play in re-establishing a secure environment and creating a breathing-space for the people of Darfur while negotiations continue. However, UNAMID, which took over from the African Union Mission in Sudan on 1 January 2008, is being hampered by the obstructive attitude of the Sudanese authorities to non-African participation. Darfur remains a significant humanitarian challenge. Huge numbers of people require our assistance, while violence continues to force people to flee their homes and impacts on the ability of aid workers to assist them. Food distributions have resumed to some beneficiaries in North and West Darfur though accessing the northern corridor of West Darfur remains impossible. The UN estimates that at least 200,000 people were newly displaced in 2007, bringing to 2.4 million the total number who have been displaced, relocated or forced to centralise for protection and other reasons.

The 2008 United Nations Workplan for Sudan estimates that approximately two-thirds of the population of Darfur, or some 4.2 million people, will rely to some degree on humanitarian assistance in 2008. The World Food Programme alone aims to provide food assistance to 3.7 million Darfuris in 2008. Since the start of 2006, Irish Government assistance to the people of Sudan, including Darfur, has amounted to almost €39 million. This includes funding of over €6 million allocated since the start of 2008. The provision of such humanitarian assistance will remain a priority for Irish Aid.

The peace process remains the key to improvement in the overall situation. The General Affairs and External Relations Council of 28 January was briefed by UN Special Envoy Jan Eliasson on progress in the peace talks. We expressed our support for the pursuit and implementation of political solutions in Darfur and between north and south Sudan; condemned obstruction of, and a recent attack on, UNAMID; stressed the importance of unfettered humanitarian access; and called for full co-operation with the International Criminal Court. We also urged Sudan and Chad to refrain from incursions into each other's territory and support for rebel groups. In this regard, reports that Sudan has been actively supporting the insurgency in Chad are very disturbing. I welcome the fact that the GAERC has decided to keep the option of further sanctions on the table until we are sure that the Sudanese Government, as well as other parties, are co-operating fully with the peace process, with UNAMID, and with humanitarian actors.