Neale Richmond
Dublin Rathdown · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I am grateful to Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this once again. I welcome the comments by his party leader this week when she declared that this is a great State and a great place to live in. It makes a welcome change from most other days of the week.”
“Another thing that must be looked at when discussing a united Ireland is that a lot of work has to be done to show example from political representatives on the base level of sectarianism that at least two other colleagues on these benches and I put up with every day.”
“They could not decide among themselves in the "Yes" campaign whether they would have a new form of sterling or a currency pegged to sterling or adopt the euro. That is not an issue for us. We join the European Union and we join the euro. It is simple as.”
“I will make a few concluding remarks to follow on from some of the points made by the Taoiseach in his opening iteration because in his 20 minutes he did not cover them all.”
“Over the coming months, we will act impartially serving as an honest broker among our fellow member states to progress many files in areas that were raised here today. Our work will respond to the overall interests and needs of the union, its member states and citizens across Europe.”
“More pertinently to the Deputy's questions, very real charges have been placed in The Irish Times and by other investigative journalists stating that the amounts of alumina being produced from Aughinish are going indirectly to the Russian war machine. If that is the case, it is completely unacceptable.”
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“After more than 27 years, the Good Friday Agreement remains our guiding principle. The agreement recognises the legitimacy of whatever choice is freely exercised by a majority of the people of Northern Ireland, whether that is to remain in the union or unify our nation. If there is to be a border poll, the constitutional future of the island will be decided by a simple majority vote, 50% plus one. That is what the agreement says and despite what some people may argue is needed, that is the legal definition and it is important we maintain that clarity in the debate. That was part of the bargain in 1998: the promise of an end to violence, replaced by a commitment to exclusively peaceful and democratic means to answer the constitutional question.”
“Every Irish Government must be guided by Article 3 of the Constitution, which states: It is the firm will of the Irish nation, in harmony and friendship, to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions, Article 3 recognises that Irish unity can only come about in accordance with the principle of consent. That constitutional amendment came as part of a reimagining of relationships on this island and across these islands. It is an essential part of the delicate balances that made the historic settlement possible. The spirit of harmony and friendship it speaks about, and its commitment to a unity that respects the diversity of the people of this island, are descriptions of our destination.”
“I acknowledge the presence of Professor Colin Harvey from Queen's University Belfast, who has played a major role in furthering this conversation. I am not sure whether it is appropriate, but it would be remiss of me not to cite the Cathaoirleach's influence and work on this, particularly when we were both Senators and he commissioned the first report on the future reunification of our country. I joined him on a few flights and I could not believe he managed to get a copy on the plane with how heavy it was. He was definitely over some baggage allowances. However, in all seriousness, that is the sort of level of discussion, debate and contribution we should all expect. I will address some of the points raised in due course, but it is important to lay out the Government's position in detail before this debate continues.”
“I greatly appreciate the opportunity to interject in the debate at this stage. I am extremely grateful to the proposer and seconder for tabling this timely debate. I responded to a similar debate in Dáil Éireann a fortnight ago. Commitment to the unification of the island of Ireland is a founding principle for all parties of this Government. This Government holds that aspiration to a united Ireland in common with the Opposition. That is why we are not today opposing this motion, notwithstanding some of the political differences between our positions. As referenced by Senator Kelleher, this matter is of sincere personal interest to me and I am grateful to Ireland's Future and its chair, my dear friend, Senator Black, for offering me the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing conversation.”
“It is not acceptable and we, the global community, must intensify our diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to bring these conflicts to an end, but also to protect humanitarian workers. I sincerely thank the Chamber for the range of Members' contributions this afternoon and the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for her latitude.”
“In conclusion, Ireland remains steadfast in its commitment to keeping this crisis on the international agenda and urging immediate meaningful action from all regional and international partners and actors. We remain sharply focused on our immediate priorities. Civilians must be protected, with urgent attention paid to safe passage for those fleeing violence and to the protection of women and girls, who remain at grave risk of sexual and gender-based violence. The protection of front-line humanitarian actors and local responders must be guaranteed in line with international law. This year is the most dangerous year in history for humanitarian workers. Between this conflict and the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, more humanitarian workers have been killed than ever before.”
“Recognising this, Ireland will continue to call for any negotiated political settlement to be permanent, peaceful, inclusive, civilian-led and one which respects the territorial integrity and unity of Sudan. Looking to the longer term, we will stand ready to support the Sudanese people in their post-conflict recovery. There will be immense humanitarian and development needs. Fragile state institutions will need to be created and strengthened and the nation's economy and infrastructure rebuilt. Crucially, the social fabric must be repaired and a process of reconciliation initiated. This will be difficult, but it is essential. Sustainable peace depends on these efforts.”
“In 2026, we are committed to maintaining a needs-based approach with a focus on the most severe and forgotten crises, and we are firmly committed to increasing our funding to Sudan. The international community must do more to exert greater pressure on the parties to return to the negotiating table and to engage in dialogue. Crucially, there must be substantive political engagement and co-ordination between the EU, the AU and the Quad and other international and national actors on de-escalation and mediation efforts. In terms of the peace process, we cannot allow the exclusion of the Sudanese people to occur. When the fighting ends, it is often women who step forward to reconcile, to organise and to restore hope. Civil society actors and local humanitarian workers are vital throughout all stages of conflict, before, during and after.”
“This includes supporting all efforts to thoroughly document, investigate and effectively address these grave concerns. Considering the scale of atrocities committed and the environment of impunity, it is vital that perpetrators are ultimately held accountable and brought to justice. In a world where conflict and displacement are a daily reality for millions of people, and at a time when official development assistance is being reduced globally, I am proud that Ireland continues to increase its investment in development and humanitarian assistance. Even in such trying times, there are always opportunities to save lives and reach the furthest behind first. Our humanitarian funding is flexible and predictable, enabling partners to respond quickly to sudden and evolving needs.”
“While I welcome efforts by the international community to bring pressure to bear on the parties to engage in dialogue and agree to a cessation of hostilities, it is equally critical that we address these immediate and urgent priorities, regardless of the progression of these mediation efforts. Therefore, Ireland will continue to engage with our EU partners on the effective implementation of the humanitarian aspects of the Council's conclusions. Accountability and justice remain core tenets of our support. We will continue to offer our unwavering support for international accountability mechanisms, such as the fact-finding mission and the International Criminal Court. We will continue to actively engage with the UN Human Rights Council on this issue.”
“To this end, Ireland will continue to call for greater attention on the conflict in Sudan, ensuring it remains on the international agenda; continue to leverage multilateral bilateral forums, particularly at the EU and the UN, to highlight the urgent humanitarian protection crisis; provide ongoing support to accountability mechanisms for international human rights and humanitarian abuses and violations; continue to provide funding for humanitarian assistance in response to the Sudan crisis - we will increase our funding in 2026; support de-escalation and mediation efforts together with our EU partners, ensuring there is substantive engagement and co-ordination between the various international regional and state actors involved; and advocate for a political process that is inclusive and civilian-led and support efforts such as by the African Union that encourage civilian engagement and dialogue.”
“Our approach is people-centred, with a firm commitment to human rights and humanitarian assistance for those most in need. To this end, in June, I signed a joint statement by 30 donor countries condemning attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers. I also joined an Australia-led declaration for the protection of humanitarian workers at the UN General Assembly in New York, where I signed it last September. We will uphold these core values and continue to pursue a multilateral approach.”
“The actions of other states have prolonged the conflict and have fuelled further violence. Too many states are providing arms to the parties and sponsoring fighters from outside Sudan. We will continue to make clear in our multilateral and bilateral engagements that external interference must end and that every available diplomatic lever is utilised to bring the parties to the negotiating table with a view to ending this devastating conflict. The world in which we find ourselves today is growing ever more complex, more fraught and at times more fragile. Around the globe we are witnessing an increasing number of conflicts, yet, despite this difficult landscape, Ireland remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing the world's most pressing issues through a strong multilateral system and a rules-based international order.”
“They have demonstrated a blatant and outrageous disregard for international human rights and humanitarian norms and obligations. In their blood struggle for power the parties to the conflict have imposed a preventable and man-made crisis on the population. This is a man-made famine. The parties to the conflict are responsible for large-scale attacks on civilians, described by the UN as amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, as I said, including using starvation and sexual and gender-based violence as weapons of war. We cannot omit the significant role that external actors have played, including in the provision of military and other forms of support to the parties in the conflict, as Deputy Ó Laoghaire and I discussed this morning. I have heard the views of the Deputies in this debate and this morning very clearly.”
“Behind every number is a person, a family, a community whose lives have been shattered by this war. Many of us represent the Sudanese diaspora in our constituencies and who are living in the horror that it is their family that they are waiting on news from. I am particularly concerned that women and children are bearing the brunt of this crisis, including 12 million at risk of sexual and gender-based violence. Rape is being used as a weapon of war on a daily basis in Sudan. These numbers and each individual story represent the devastating social and economic costs of conflict, the deliberate targeting of civilians, the obstruction of humanitarian assistance and the constriction of the humanitarian space by the parties to the conflict.”
“We cannot let this tragedy fade from the international headlines until yet another massacre like that in El Fasher forces the conflict back onto the agenda or into our timelines. The humanitarian displacement and protection crisis in Sudan is catastrophic in scale. As has been highlighted here today, the level of suffering is beyond measure and it is difficult to imagine or capture. I will attempt to put it starkly. The number of ordinary people experiencing crisis levels of hunger in Sudan is four times larger than the population of Ireland. Those who are currently displaced due to the conflict represent more than twice the population of Ireland. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has rightly emphasised that these figures are not just statistics.”
“Senators Mullen and McCarthy raised it in relation to a very worrying attack on an Irish missionary nun and her congregation in Nigeria two weeks ago. Perhaps the Deputy might consider putting forward a Topical Issue matter or seeking a debate. I thank the Acting Chair for her indulgence. It has been more than two years since the war in Sudan erupted. We are all agreed that the need for international attention and action is more critical now than ever. I want to thank everyone present for their engagement on this important issue and encourage them all to continue to highlight the plight of the Sudanese people wherever possible in this Chamber, in the other Chamber, at local authority level, within party groupings, within European party collectives and beyond. Our collective commitment as a Parliament is vital in this regard.”
“I want to assure the Deputies that the Irish Government will continue to raise this issue at every European and United Nations forum. I would say to Deputy Nolan that everyone in Sudan is persecuted or is liable to be persecuted at the moment. I note the point the Deputy makes in relation to Christians. I met the Church in Chains organisation in a personal capacity in my parish a couple of Sundays ago and I had a lengthy discussion with its director. I am more than happy to discuss the persecution of any minority in any jurisdiction in this Chamber. If the Deputy would like to put forward a debate on the persecution of Christians, I would be more than happy to provide a full response from a Government point of view. We had a similar debate in the Seanad this morning.”
“There is a shift, quite clearly, at a European level by other member states to move to a far more transactional approach to development, similar to the lines historically and in other ways the Deputy referred to. I want to assure him that Ireland is going to make sure that our development programme maintains a very clear path and, equally, we are going to be a very strong voice within the European Union for a values-based development programme that reaches the furthest behind first and that seeks peace, democracy and local empowerment. I appreciate that Deputies Heneghan and Shane Moynihan have regularly raised this issue, particularly in oral parliamentary questions, along with Deputy Ó Laoghaire, with whom I had a lengthy debate on this issue this morning.”
“I will try my best with ten minutes but I might ask for a little bit of latitude from the House, given that we are ahead of schedule. A number of pertinent issues were raised by Deputies and by the Acting Chair that I will try to address. I want to address a couple of points raised by Deputies who are still in the Chamber as I think they merit the response. A lot of what Deputy Boyd Barrett raised stuck with me. I want to provide an element of reassurance on how we approach our work in this region from the Irish Government point of view and from an Irish Aid point of view. We have a development programme that is based on values. We have a development programme that is flexible, local led and is enshrined by our document.”
“That will include an additional €3 million announced by the Tánaiste and I in New York in September at the UN General Assembly but also real pressure to make sure humanitarian corridors are maintained. I have said it before in the House that 2025 is the most dangerous, deadly year to be a humanitarian aid worker in the world. The deaths of humanitarian workers in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine are unfathomable.”
“I am very grateful to the Deputy for raising the very large Sudanese population that lives here in Ireland. When we see things in the abstract and we look at news reports and everything else, we forget that these are people's family members and friends. These are people living in our constituencies who are worried about their family and friends and not knowing what the future holds. In regard to Ireland's role, there are three major things we will continue to press. One is a call, with our partners, for an immediate cessation of the violence. Second, it will be for the real enforcement of the arms embargoes that have been place. Third and most importantly, it is the maintenance of our humanitarian support. As I said, we have allocated €4.3 million this year.”
“We should never lose that focus in regard to why it is not only the right thing for Ireland to be involved in this and provide that support but it is also the sensible thing.”
“The history of war in Sudan is awful and bloody. It is also complex with regard to the parties to the war. We can talk about the RSF and the Government but we can also talk about various tribal militias who are agnostic with regard to who they side with in pursuit of their bloody aims. This conflict is of a scale that is perhaps unfathomable to this House, to be honest. It is as bad as anything the continent has seen and while we are living in really difficult geopolitical times, it is no underestimation to say this is possibly the worst conflict but certainly the worst humanitarian disaster happening in the world at the moment. It is a humanitarian disaster that is awful but it also having a real impact, materially, on the daily lives of the people who the Deputy and I represent in our constituencies.”
“We are committed to further increasing our assistance in 2026. Ultimately, an agreement on a cessation of hostilities must be reached in order to end the suffering of the Sudanese people. This must be followed by a negotiated, permanent, peaceful and civilian-led political settlement that respects the territorial integrity of Sudan.”
“We will continue to work internationally with our EU and other partners to call on all parties to adhere to their obligations to protect civilians and aid workers, and to ensure immediate, unconditional and unhindered humanitarian access in full compliance with international humanitarian law. In June, I signed a joint statement by 30 donor countries condemning attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers. I also joined an Australian-led declaration for the protection of humanitarian workers at the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Ireland has provided €14.3 million in humanitarian assistance so far in 2025 to support people most in need in Sudan and those displaced in neighbouring countries. This assistance is channelled through trusted UN, Red Cross, Irish NGO and local partners to provide life-saving aid.”
“Ireland has taken a leading role within the EU on the establishment of the EU sanctions regime. The EU Foreign Affairs Council in October adopted Council conclusions strongly condemning the ongoing conflict. Ireland successfully called for Sudan to be placed on the agenda at this month’s EU Foreign Affairs Council, which adopted restrictive measures against a senior RSF commander. The international community needs to exert greater pressure on the parties to return to the negotiating table and to engage in dialogue. I welcome the ongoing work of the Quad, including efforts to negotiate a three-month humanitarian truce. It is vital that there is substantive political engagement and co-ordination between the European Union, the African Union, the Quad and other international and national actors on de-escalation and mediation efforts.”
“Large-scale, ethnically motivated atrocities, including summary executions, sexual and gender-based violence and the detention of civilians are part of a widespread pattern, including the use of rape and starvation as weapons of war. These actions are unconscionable and must stop. There must be accountability and justice for such atrocities. Ireland, together with Germany, the UK, Netherlands and Norway, succeeded in ensuring the adoption of a resolution on the situation in El Fasher at a special session of the Human Rights Council on 14 November. The resolution requests the independent international fact-finding mission for Sudan to conduct an urgent inquiry into the violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law committed in and around El Fasher. The environment of impunity in Sudan simply must end.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 35 and 97 together. I thank Deputy Smith, as I did Deputy Ó Laoghaire, for raising this matter consistently. It is going to be a very important debate this afternoon. The Government remains deeply concerned by the devastating conflict in Sudan, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian and protection crisis. More than 150,000 people have already been killed, some 12 million are forcibly displaced and over 21 million people face crisis levels of hunger, including famine. This is a man-made famine. I am appalled by the targeting of civilians by all parties to the conflict. I condemn the atrocities committed in El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces, RSF, and the escalating violence in North Darfur.”
“Obviously, Ireland has a new embassy in Pakistan and we continue to use our resident ambassador to make sure we advocate for peace in that region and ensure Ireland's voice at a community level is heard on an international level too.”
“One of the things that was often lost in the public mindset around this discussion is that level of compassion - perhaps eclipsed understandably by the sheer scale of compassion needed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine that led to over 110,000 people coming to this country. However, before that, after the fall of Kabul and the return of the Taliban, that level of community-level, driven compassion was there. I know the cases in Kildare referenced by the Deputy. I think of my own sister and my parliamentary assistant, ironically both called Emma, who were very involved in the campaign to bring the Afghani women's hockey team here. We were able to get the entire team out of Afghanistan. Women playing sport is a crime under the Taliban. That is just a particular reference.”
“Indeed, we can continue to look at other forums for ways that we can raise this, most particularly through our current campaign for election to the UN Human Rights Council that will sit from 2027 to 2029.”
“I fundamentally agree with the Deputy. Although I do not know if the words "moderate" and "Taliban" can ever be used in the same sentence, I understand the point he is trying to make. I absolutely agree that the attention needs to be continued. That is one of the main reasons that there is a specific reference in the programme for Government to protecting women and girls in Afghanistan. We believe we have a responsibility to make sure that Ireland, as a country that has a vested interest in the future of that country, continues to state that. I will undertake to see, along with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, if we can get this on the agenda of the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting, even as a sub-item for discussion.”
“The Department also continues to support the Afghan people through the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance, which is principally channelled through the UN, its agencies, and trusted international partner organisations. Since January 2020, Ireland has provided over €20 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan through the Irish Aid programme, including almost €5 million in humanitarian funding this year to respond to needs in Afghanistan and among Afghan refugees in the region, including the specific needs of women and girls.”
“The EU special envoy has recently briefed our ambassador to the EU peace and security committee on the current situation. In line with the commitment in Securing Ireland’s Future, we will continue to play an active role in seeking to maintain EU and international attention on the appalling human rights situation in Afghanistan and, in particular, the unacceptable restrictions imposed by the Taliban on Afghan women and girls. Along with other EU partners, Ireland played a lead role in pressing for the establishment of an independent investigative mechanism on Afghanistan at the most recent session of the UN Human Rights Council. This represents a significant milestone in the pursuit of truth, justice and accountability for the people of Afghanistan.”
“I am very grateful to the iar-Cheann Comhairle for raising this important issue. Afghanistan was not discussed at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council which the Minister, Deputy McEntee, attended on 20 November. However, the Minister and I believe that the current dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan clearly warrants a political level discussion within the Foreign Affairs Council, given that the last such discussion took place in March 2023. Ireland will continue to advocate for this within the relevant Council bodies. We will also continue to fully support the role of the EU, through its special envoy for Afghanistan, in working to address the human rights and humanitarian situation within Afghanistan, including through the UN-led Doha process.”
“Ukraine offers us a great opportunity but, first and foremost, let there be no equivocation about our support for the people of Ukraine. We want to make sure that real peace comes to Ukraine and that this happens through an absolute ceasefire as soon as possible.”
“Yes, absolutely. When there is a ceasefire and a peace agreement in Ukraine, Ireland is fully prepared to play a real part in that. Just two weeks ago, I was in Colombia, one of 13 Irish Aid countries, and our programme work there is solely in relation to peace. The experience of Ireland has been put into action to uphold the 2016 peace agreement. I visited projects with decommissioned FARC guerillas who were being supported by the Irish Government to turn their backs on violence, engage on peace and lead far better lives. This is the sort of thing that we can offer to the world. Deputies in this Chamber regularly refer to this in the context of the situation in the Middle East, and that is true too. There are lots of Irish NGOs working in places like Ramallah in this regard.”
“Ireland will continue to push at UN level the need to respect international law. There are a number of cases before various international courts that Ireland will be a party to, highlighting concerns in relation to human rights abuses and, as the Minister alluded to, in relation to the forced abduction of children from Ukraine.”
“There are a couple of elements to that. The negotiations under way in Geneva between the US and Ukraine are welcome, but Ireland is not a direct party to them. One issue that came up at the Foreign Affairs Council, which I attended virtually yesterday, was the need for there to be an EU track to the negotiations. While there are three European countries around the negotiations, we want to make sure there is a real EU voice. Within that EU voice will be Ireland's voice. Ireland is clear that we want a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, one that is based on international law and respecting the territorial sovereignty of the people of Ukraine. To be blunt, there can be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. Equally, there can be nothing about Europe without Europe.”
“Ireland prioritises engagement in support of a stable and secure international environment through conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, disarmament and non-proliferation, and promoting the resolution of disputes through multilateral diplomacy based on the principles of the UN Charter. The Government also makes sure that we have a full focus on foreign and security policy and common security and defence policy in a range of multilateral institutions, including the UN, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, and the Council of Europe.”
“The Government consistently advocates at EU and UN level for the two-state solution and the equal right to self-determination, peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike, as well as full adherence to international law and international humanitarian law. Ireland continues to prioritise to the promotion of human rights in a period where human rights norms are facing considerable pushback. Reflecting our commitment in this area, Ireland's campaign for the election to a seat on the Human Rights Council from 2027 to 2029 was launched last week in New York.”
“Our membership of the European Union, the world's longest and most successful peace project, is central to how we ensure our security, prosperity and well-being as a country. As the Minister outlined to Deputy Ó Muirí, our preparations to hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the latter half of next year are well under way. Ireland is actively engaged in international efforts to bring an end to Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. The Government is committed to providing continued political, humanitarian, economic and non-lethal military support to Ukraine. Responding to conflict in the Middle East is also a priority.”
“I thank the Deputy for his timely question. Ireland's diplomatic priorities are set out in the Department of Foreign Affair and Trade's statement of strategy for 2025 to 2028, which includes active diplomatic engagement in promoting peace, security and the protection of human rights abroad. We pursue these objectives against the backdrop of a changing geopolitical landscape and a wide range of challenges that require global solutions. In this context, the Government prioritises reinforcing the multilateral system and the international legal order with the UN Charter at its heart. The Government also prioritises developing and maintaining strong and wide-ranging bilateral relations with key international partners.”
“I intend to visit Uganda, which is home to a lot of refugees, particularly from South Sudan, in February next year and will continue to make sure our support is known about and felt.”
“Let there be no underestimation. This is the worst humanitarian crisis happening in the world at the moment and it has been for a considerable time. It is the largest displacement of people, and Ireland will not be found wanting. As I mentioned, so far this year, we have allocated €4.3 million in humanitarian assistance. That included an additional €3 million announced by me and the Tánaiste in September at the UN and we are committed to increasing that in 2026 as needed. We also made sure our payments to UN agency partners were brought forward this year due to the liquidity crisis, to make sure refugees from this conflict and others were not victims of a liquidity crisis.”
“However, the UAE, alongside the USA, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, is a member of the Quad, a group formed with the aim of resolving the conflict and we have encouraged all parties with influence to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and an end to the suffering of civilians. However, substantive political engagement and co-ordination is also needed between the EU, the African Union, the Quad and other international and national actors on de-escalation and mediation efforts.”
“On discussions, as I mentioned, the Government has raised this at EU and UN levels, where appropriate. I have also personally discussed it at a political level with senior officials and ministers from the UAE. That happened at a meeting in Dublin a number of months ago, meetings held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and at High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly, and I will be meeting the UAE ambassador in a few hours. We have made it clear to all parties that we do not believe there should be any breaches of the arms embargo. Any allegations of that have been consistently denied by the UAE, as the Deputy will appreciate.”
“At EU level, Ireland has taken a leading role in initiating discussions on Sudan, including on the establishment of the EU sanctions regime and, most recently, in calling for the implementation of the October Council conclusions. The November EU Foreign Affairs Council, which the Minister, Deputy McEntee, attended, adopted restrictive measures against a senior RSF commander. We are gravely concerned by reports that arms continue to reach parties to the conflict, despite existing UN and EU embargoes and sanctions. Along with our EU and other partners, we have called on all external actors directly or indirectly supplying arms and funds to the parties to cease their support immediately. Ireland, with the EU, will continue to advocate for the expansion of the arms embargo to the whole territory of Sudan.”
“The Government has consistently highlighted the scale of the humanitarian crisis and the urgent need to act to ensure the protection of civilians, particularly women and girls, and safe passage for those fleeing. Also critical is the need to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law to reach those must in need. This year, Ireland has provided €14.3 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people most in need in Sudan and those displaced in neighbouring countries. This assistance is channelled through trusted UN, Red Cross, Irish NGO and local partners to provide life-saving assistance. We are committed to further increasing our assistance in 2026.”