The international community has to wake up to the reality of rape, murder and destruction in Darfur, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said today.
Marking the International Day for the south-western Sudanese region, he called for a ceasefire, effective peacekeeping and a credible political process. More than 200,000 people have died in Darfur during three years of fighting.
Aid and human rights organisers have also highlighted the escalating numbers of rape and sexual violence against civilians in the region. "Darfur is the single greatest test of mankind's determination to prevent mass-murder and protect human rights today," said Mr Ahern.
"We failed that test before in Bosnia, and in Rwanda. Today, we are staring failure in the face once again. "In the wake of the holocaust we founded the UN on two simple words — never again.
"Now we watch impotently as hundreds of thousands are killed, as rape is used daily as a weapon of war, millions have been driven from their villages to an inhuman existence in camps. "The conflict has spread now into eastern Chad where today more than 300,000 people face a health crisis following the withdrawal of humanitarian workers."
Mr Ahern, who has already urged neighbouring leaders to do all in their power to bring their influence to bear on the situation, will highlight the issue at a meeting of 25 Foreign Ministers of the European Union in Brussels tomorrow. "At that meeting I will urge my EU colleagues to intensify their efforts to pressurise the Sudanese regime to heed their clear responsibility to protect their own people," he added.
"Ireland's lesson is clear — there are no military solutions. "We need a ceasefire, effective peacekeeping and a credible political process now. "If these fail to materialise rapidly now, new approaches, including additional sanctions, will have to be examined by the international community."