Two weeks ago, at the request of the Irish aid agencies Concern, Goal and Trocaire, I visited Sudan. Following Minister Liz O'Donnell's visit to the region earlier this year, we both felt that additional international effort was needed to highlight the humanitarian crisis which threatens to engulf Sudan. I raised this issue with our European partners, in the belief that international influence was necessary to focus the protagonists in Sudan on the need for dialogue. The objective must be to end the conflict which is the real cause of the suffering of the Sudanese people.
The situation in Southern Sudan remains bleak. Up to 2.6 million people need our help now and the prospects for this year's harvest are not good. A combination of drought, adverse weather conditions and the prevailing violent conflict have contrived to drive many from their homes into the towns and cities, where they arrive tired, weakened by hunger and vulnerable to infection and disease. Many of those who remain on the land have been unable to grow enough to feed their families, so they used the seed that they need to grow their crops as food.
At Ajiep, the epicentre of this humanitarian crisis, I witnessed thousands living in makeshift camps, crowded together with minimal shelter and no sanitation. And those who populate these camps have left behind a trail of dead relatives, old and young, as they trekked from their homelands through miles of barren terrain, with neither food or water. Anyone who has not seen this type of situation cannot appreciate how awful it is.
The international community delivers thousands upon thousands of tons of food and medical aid every month. Huge sums of money are being spent on transportation. Aid agencies such as Concern, Goal and Trocaire work tirelessly and courageously in difficult and dangerous conditions, and thousands of individual aid workers are doing their level best to see that this aid is delivered to those who need it most.
Between 1994-97, Ireland contributed more than £4 1/2 million to the aid effort in Sudan. In this year alone, over £2 million is being spent and this does not include the generous contributions of the Irish people to Concern, Goal, Trocaire, Oxfam, World Vision and others, all of which are active in the Sudan. And this aid does work. Where food and medical supplies get through to the people who need them, lives are saved.
Vital supplies must continue to reach those in need. It is not acceptable that food be used as a weapon against the starving, or that medicine be used as a bargaining tool with the sick. I emphasised this to the leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army and to the Sudanese government. I pressed all sides to remove all restrictions on the supply of aid. In particular, I urged the Sudan government to reconsider its decision to refuse a UN assessment team access to the Nuba mountains. Fears have been expressed for the population of this region, where no aid has been channelled yet. There is no justification for a government to impede the passage of humanitarian aid and I made this point again and again and will continue to do so.
The humanitarian disaster in Sudan is the result of war and the cost in human life is intolerable. If even a fraction of the money spent on fuelling this war had been spent on economic development, the future would be secure. Instead, we see millions of pounds disappearing and Sudan slowly disintegrating as a viable political entity.
What is needed now is an all-out effort to secure peace. A unilateral ceasefire was declared by the Sudanese government on August 4th and I have pressed the rebel SPLA to reply in kind. The three-month ceasefire in the Bahr el Ghazal area, in force since mid-July, has saved many lives. It is vital that it be continued and extended geographically.
The recent Addis Ababa peace talks resulted in some progress on questions of access for humanitarian aid, yet the core political differences regarding the definition of borders and separation of powers remain unresolved.
Having met the main participants in these talks, it is my belief that the only certain means of finding a lasting solution is for the parties to engage continuously and constructively until agreement is reached. The EU presidency declaration of August 4th underlined the importance of shuttle diplomacy in narrowing the gap between the parties.
Minister O'Donnell and I will maintain our efforts to keep Sudan on the international agenda.
Nairobi is the seat of the southern section of Operation Lifeline Sudan, the UN-sponsored consortium which delivers aid to Southern Sudan, and many of the NGOs have their regional offices there. The Kenyan government is engaged in the peace process in Sudan, and Ireland has development programmes in six priority countries in this region. In addition, we are funding relief and rehabilitation programmes in the Great Lakes area and Somalia.
Until 1988, Ireland operated a full diplomatic mission in Nairobi. Budgetary considerations determined that this embassy should be closed and since then our diplomatic support for Ireland's activities has been provided by our Honorary Consul, Mr Joe O'Brien. His work on Ireland's behalf deserves special mention.
I am acutely conscious of the personal sacrifices which Mr O'Brien has made for Ireland. Having regard to this and to the ongoing and increasing Irish involvement in political and developmental activity in East Africa, it is unreasonable to expect Mr O'Brien to continue unsupported. At present, Ireland, together with Luxembourg, are the only members of the EU which do not have an embassy in Nairobi. We must now reconsider reopening our embassy in Nairobi shortly.
It is a sad irony that terrorism provided a devastating counterpoint to my visit to East Africa. Just days before I arrived in Nairobi, 247 innocent people died in a bomb attack on the US embassy. Then, in Khartoum, I learnt of another abomination in Omagh.