Irish calls to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid to Sudan

Irish Foreign Secretary Michael Martin has called for an end to attacks and obstacles to humanitarian access to Sudan.

Martin said attacks by military factions on hospitals and aid convoys, border closures and denial of humanitarian access were major obstacles to meeting the country’s humanitarian needs.

Martin stressed the need for all warring parties and their external sponsors to shoulder their responsibilities under international humanitarian law, calling for a ceasefire and the start of peace negotiations to restore Sudan’s democratic transition.

The Irish minister expressed his country’s support for working within the European Union and with international partners to secure a ceasefire in Sudan and stressed the need to hold political and military officials accountable for all violations committed in the country.

Martin concluded his remarks by calling for the adoption of sanctions by the European Union targeting those who continue to violence and obstruct humanitarian aid efforts in Sudan.

A famine threatens Sudanese refugees in Chad