Sinn Féin TD Pauline Tully has called on the Irish government to use the convening of the United Nations General Assembly this week to press for the international community ‘to take urgent action to alleviate dire humanitarian circumstances in Sudan’.

Dóchas, the Irish Association of Non-Governmental Development Organisations, today held an emergency briefing on the situation in Sudan at which a number of contributors highlighted the lack of attention the crisis is receiving, and called on the Irish government to seek to remediate this at the United Nations this week.

Speaking after attending the briefing, Teachta Tully said:

“The situation and circumstances which the people of Sudan have now endured for nearly 17 months are truly harrowing.

“More than 20,000 people have been killed with more than 10 million people displaced.

“Though famine has been declared in some regions only 40% of the required humanitarian resources have been committed.

“Gender based violence is rampant, with hunger itself a key component driving young men to involve themselves in the conflict.

“Dóchas’ call today was for the Irish government to utilise the United Nations General Assembly as a platform for Ireland to credibly call on the international community to effectively respond to this crisis.

“My party colleague and Sinn Féin spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Matt Carthy TD, has for some time sought for the Irish government to press the European Union to make the crisis in Sudan a priority – both in terms of delivering a ceasefire and political framework for dialogue and lasting peace but also to urgently and fully address the already unfolded humanitarian catastrophe.

“The Irish government should heed the call from Irish civil society today and commit to raising the plight of the Sudanese people, call for the arms embargo to be extended across the entire country, to commit the funds necessary to wholly alleviate dire humanitarian circumstances, and for a political process to be put in place that will finally allow for the Sudanese people to successfully exercise their democratic rights independent from threats of violence.”