Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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61. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will press for conclusions on Sudan at the next meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council; if he will seek an extension of the arms embargo beyond Darfur and an increase in humanitarian aid to Sudan; and his views on whether steps can be taken to assist the UN and development NGO to get aid to those who need it. [37496/24]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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62. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised the situation in Sudan with his Egyptian and Emirati counterparts; whether he has any concerns that they may be contributing to the humanitarian crisis in the country; and the date on which he last met or spoke to them. [37497/24]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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63. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will press for conclusions on Sudan at the next meeting of the European Council; and if he will seek an extension of the arms embargo beyond Darfur and the provision of more humanitarian aid to those who need it. [37498/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 62 and 63 together.

I am gravely concerned by the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Over 12 million people have been displaced; 25 million face acute hunger, and famine has been declared in North Darfur. The UN’s Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has found evidence of widespread war crimes and crimes against humanity, with both conflict parties deliberately blocking urgently needed humanitarian access.

Ireland has been responding to this catastrophe. On the humanitarian front, so far this year, Ireland has provided over €10.5 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan and a further €2.5 million in support of Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries. The level of our assistance already exceeds the pledge for 2024 which I delivered at the High Level Pledging Event for Sudan in Paris in April.

Ireland has also supported UN and EU calls to facilitate cross-border humanitarian access and allow the unimpeded delivery of aid into the country. All parties to the conflict must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law and allow the delivery of aid to those that need it most.

However the provision of aid on its own is not sufficient. This crisis requires international pressure for a political solution.

We are continuing to work with our European partners on finding solutions to the crisis. Last year, the Tánaiste led calls at the Foreign Affairs Council for a new EU sanctions regime against individuals undermining peace in Sudan. Twelve entities and individuals have now been listed under the new instrument. The Tánaiste is due to discuss the situation at the Foreign Affairs Council in October, and Ireland will continue to consider the most effective use of the EU autonomous sanctions regime to target those engaged in egregious conduct, such as attacks on civilians and obstruction of aid.

Ireland is also working to support UN action on Sudan. This week in New York the Tánaiste will attend a Ministerial Meeting on Sudan co-hosted by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are also working to ensure extension of the mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan. For the sake of Sudan’s political future, those who violate human rights and humanitarian law must be held accountable for their actions.

While it is regrettable that the UN Security Council did not adopt the International Fact Finding Mission’s recommendation to extend the current UN arms embargo from Darfur to the whole of Sudan, the EU has already addressed this issue. The current EU arms embargo on Sudan extends to the whole of the territory of Sudan.

Finally, it is vital that external actors end all actions which fuel and prolong the conflict. Along with our European partners, we have called on all states that are supplying arms and funds to the belligerents to cease their support immediately, including as expressed in the April 2024 EU Statement on Sudan. We will continue to take every opportunity to raise these issues directly with the countries concerned.