Kitt pledges €3m for Sudan
Since February 2003, continued armed struggles between government-backed Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, and anti-government rebels have displaced more than one million people and killed tens of thousands.
The latest pledge brings Ireland’s contribution to Sudan to an unprecedented €8m this year - far more proportionately than most other donor countries.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner in Sudan’s capital Khartoum yesterday, Mr Kitt said he had decided to allocate the extra funding after a two-day visit last week to some of the worst affected areas of Darfur.
“I think this is the right thing to do. This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. We are going to have a long-term commitment here,” he said.
However, the humanitarian situation in Darfur continued to worsen over the weekend as the beginning of the rainy season swamped camps and vastly increased the risk of epidemics.
Furthermore, reports began to emerge on Saturday that government police were marching on one of the most infamous refugee camps in Mornei to forcibly move camp residents - despite government assurances that those displaced in more than 130 camps in Darfur would not be forcibly returned.
The move, which came just hours after Sudanese Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Mustafa Osman Ismail told the Irish Examiner that no one would be forcibly moved from any camp in Darfur, was immediately criticised by the UN’s co-ordinator in Sudan, Erik de Mul.
“This falls into a plan the government may have to reorganise the whole situation in Darfur in an attempt to control the people. In the process these people are being treated like cattle,” he said.
Mr Kitt also criticised the measure and said the Irish Government had already lodged a formal complaint with Sudanese authorities.
“This particular development is serious and worrying and in my view is a breach of the terms of the ceasefire the government signed,” he said.
In a similar incident three weeks ago, officials also emptied a refugee camp overnight on the eve of a visit by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Meanwhile, efforts at brokering a renewed peace deal faltered on Saturday as rebel leaders walked out of unofficial talks with the government sponsored by the African Union.
