Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 98 and 99 together.

We are deeply concerned by the severe humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sudan caused by the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since the conflict began in April, over 6.2 million people have fled their homes and nearly 25 million people, half of the population, are in need of humanitarian aid and protection assistance.

Ireland has been a long-term partner of the people of Sudan in both development and humanitarian action, providing over €35 million in assistance between 2018 and 2022. Ireland has provided over €7 million in humanitarian and development aid to Sudan so far this year, together with further assistance for Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries. This includes €4 million to the UN OCHA Sudan Humanitarian Fund, which channels funding through non-governmental organisation (NGO) partners on the ground who are best placed to deliver immediate life-saving assistance. Support is also provided to the work of Irish NGOs including GOAL, Concern Worldwide, Trócaire and Plan International. Core funding to WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP, ICRC and other multilateral agencies also plays a role in helping to alleviate the catastrophic impact of the conflict on delivery of services.

Ireland will continue to provide support to Sudan in 2024 alongside diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict. Horrific reports of widespread sexual and gender based violence, targeted killings, large-scale attacks on civilian settlements and forced displacement have been a hallmark of the conflict. On 14 November, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide issued a statement warning that acts which amount to genocide may have been committed.

In this context, Ireland has consistently emphasised the need for protection of civilians, maintenance of humanitarian access, a cessation of hostilities, and a clear role for civil society in Sudan's political future. At the meetings of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in May and June Ireland initiated calls for additional sanctions in order to increase pressure on the parties. In October, the EU adopted a new autonomous sanctions framework for Sudan which targets those impeding peace efforts, perpetrating civilian harm and obstructing humanitarian access.

At the UN Human Rights Council, Ireland has advocated for a ceasefire, an end to attacks on civilians, and protection of humanitarian access. In October, the Council established a Fact Finding Mission, charged with investigating human rights violations in Sudan.

Ireland is also working with partners who are supporting the work of human rights defenders and civil society, engaging in peace mediation and inclusive dialogue, promoting transitional justice, and conducting research and analysis on conflict dynamics.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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100. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to provide aid to support Belarusians in exile. [52236/23]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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101. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his representations to the European Union in respect of the need to assist Belarusians in exile whose passports have expired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52237/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 101 together.

Three years after the fraudulent elections in Belarus and with repression only intensifying, it is vital we maintain our support for democratic Belarus and those forced to live in exile. It is estimated that 200,000 to 500,000 Belarusians have been forced to flee their country as a result of the regime crackdown.

In the wake of the 7th September 2023 presidential decree by the Lukashenko regime to ban the issuance and extension of Belarusian travel documents abroad, we continue to work closely with our European partners, to monitor the situation and coordinate our response. Belarusian civil society has described this decree as a retaliatory move against pro-democracy activists in exile as it requires them to return and risk arrest in order to renew their travel documents.

Along with our EU partners, Ireland has sought to support Belarus’ democratic forces and wider civil society actors to mitigate the impact of the violence and repression of the Lukashenko regime, and in planning for the future. Ireland welcomed the establishment of the Council of Europe Contact Group and EU Consultative Group with Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. These crucial platforms for dialogue will help shape our action in support of a free, sovereign, and democratic Belarus and maintain our connection and support for Belarusians in exile.

In November, Minister of State for European Affairs Peter Burke held a meeting with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian democratic movement, who herself is in exile in Lithuania. At that meeting, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya expressed her appreciation for Ireland’s steadfast support. While in Vilnius, Minister Burke, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya and Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Survila hosted a seminar on Media Freedom in Belarus in association with the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The event heard from Belarus’ independent journalists and human rights defenders who had been forced into exile but whose important work continues to shine a light on the situation in Belarus, despite the regime’s efforts to keep it hidden.

Ireland is providing support for several Belarusian civil society projects that have been forced into exile by a repressive and authoritarian regime. This includes support to the Belarusian human rights NGO ‘Viasna’, which provides medical, psychological and humanitarian support to current and former political prisoners, support to the European Endowment for Democracy, and funding for independent Belarusian media. Ireland is also providing support to the International Accountability Platform for Belarus which is working to collecting evidence on gross human rights violations constituting crimes under international law allegedly committed by Belarusian authorities.

Ireland is committed to supporting Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile in order to support a democratic future for Belarus and its people.