EU response to Sudan lacking as focus remains on Ukraine, says security expert

Olivia Kelleher

The European Union is not as well-placed to respond to the crisis in Sudan as it should be arising out of its continued focus on the war in Ukraine, defence and security expert Declan Power has warned.

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Power said the EU would normally be in a position to respond "more speedily" to the conflict which broke out earlier this month between Sudan's army and paramilitary forces.

"(The EU's) focus at the moment is on Ukraine - so the longer this conflict goes on in Sudan, the more instability [there will be] internationally."

He said the EU could normally "bring about some sort of lengthening ceasefire to get negotiations in place and get to the nub of the problem".

"If needs be, the EU will have been in a position - under a UN mandate - to deploy some sort of a force.

"That's unlikely to happen for a variety of reasons. In fact, it suits Russia's needs at the moment for this conflict - it takes some of the pressure off them a little bit with the international focus shifting."

Mr Power warned that the EU is struggling to be relevant as Russia's veto is being used to "cynically undermine the West's elements of cohesion".

He said a conflict such as the one in Sudan causes a big shift in population movement.

"Crops don't get sown, resources don't get distributed. People then shift according to their need for those kinds of things, and then huge strain is put on the areas and regions that the refugees or internally displaced people move to."

Mr Power's comments come as 218 Irish citizens and their dependents have been evacuated from Sudan.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the State continues to offer "strong support for evacuation efforts" through consular teams in Dublin, and across the region in Nairobi, Cairo, Amman, Riyadh and Addis Ababa.