On 31 October 2025, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, extending the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, MINURSO, for one year until 31 October 2026. Ireland is not currently a member of the United Nations Security Council but has taken note of Resolution 2797. Ireland's position on Western Sahara has been and continues to be guided by the aim of achieving a just and lasting political solution that will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. Ireland's engagement on this issue will also continue to take account of the role of, and the insights provided by, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura. Any outcome should be consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, including the fundamental principle in international law of the right of peoples to self-determination. It is in this spirit that Ireland will continue to support UN-led efforts to achieve a solution to this long-standing dispute. Officials at the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and in the mission network continue to be in contact with relevant parties to the dispute in this regard. Ireland shares the concerns expressed by the Personal Envoy of the Secretary General for Western Sahara, Staffan De Mistura, and MINURSO, the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara, concerning the recent attacks by the Frente Polisario near Smara. The Personal Envoy, Staffan De Mistura, has emphasised that this is a time for dialogue and negotiations, not a time for military escalation. Any relevant developments will continue to be kept under close review, including in the context of EU and UN discussions. The United Nations recognises Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory under international law, specifically Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter.

Sentiment score: 0.34

I would like to pick the Deputy up on that last point because I think in all our discussions we always try to find areas of agreement, even when there are certain areas of disagreement on technical matters. This is one area that is really concerning for us. We have a very clear process in place. I appreciate the Deputy's thoughts that it is going far too slow and that in some persons' opinions it is not fully engaged with the Sahrawi people in the broadest sense, be they resident or non-resident, or, as he rightly says, in refugee camps. However, the position is consistent with international law and has been respectfully pushed at a UN level. Ireland absolutely stands by that position and will absolutely make sure that support for the UN resolution and, crucially, the implementation of international law will be updated. I would be more than happy to work directly with the Deputy to see where we can push back against any backsliding in that regard.

Sentiment score: 0.40

Yes, the progress towards a referendum or any process of self-determination has been painfully slow but it is not straightforward simply to engage with the people because there are very clearly conflicting opinions here and, as a country outside that seeks to be supportive crucially of what this really is, it is a peace process. What went before 1991 was a brutal conflict that cost many lives, and what has come after may be frustrating and may not be the true fulfilment of what certain people want, but I would argue it is better than what went before. The process is sadly at risk based on isolated and sporadic incidences of violence in the region. Certainly, from an Irish Government point of view, the most important thing is not making binary choices and not making declarations; it is upholding the very real process, particularly in a wider context. We are at a time when international law and the rule of law are under threat. We have a UN process, we support the UN process and we will continue to support that and make sure that process leads to an outcome that continues and maintains what is, to some extent, a relatively fragile peace.

Sentiment score: 0.07

I am very grateful to the Deputy for raising this. I acknowledge the consistent effort by both Deputies Ó Laoghaire and Smith to raise this in a constructive manner. The conflict in Sudan, which has continued for over three years, is causing devastating levels of hunger and displacement. This year, two out of every three people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance. We are seriously concerned by the escalation of violence in the Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and the expected intensification of conflict in North Darfur. I attended the third international Sudan Conference in Berlin on 15 April. The EU and its member states, including Ireland, pledged over €812 million in humanitarian assistance to support people in Sudan and to respond to the regional refugee crisis. Ireland will significantly increase our humanitarian assistance this year, from over €14.3 million provided in 2025 to somewhere in the region of €21 million this year. Our assistance is channelled through trusted partners, including the UN, international organisations, Irish aid organisations and, crucially, their local partners. Findings from a visit by Department officials to the Chadian-Sudanese border in January will help shape our response in addressing the complex humanitarian needs of those affected. This includes a continued focus on providing assistance to vulnerable people who are hardest to reach, including women and girls, who are seriously affected by sexual and gender-based violence. "Sexual and gender-based violence" is a term we use in these discussions but we rarely go into the detail. Having sat and met a number of survivors from the region on a visit not so long ago to the Horn of Africa, it is the most devastating conversation when you have to listen to someone who bore witness to seeing their 13-year-old niece raped by 15 men at one time in the face of their family being used as a tool of war. This is what sexual and gender-based violence is. We have a proud record in this country, led by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in her time in the Department of justice, of clamping down on domestic violence, but we are seeing it harrowingly used as a tool of war in the most depraved manner in the most vulnerable situations. That is why, in addition to addressing the humanitarian crisis and ensuring the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, it is vital to explore all avenues towards an urgent, credible and inclusive Sudanese-led political situation.

Sentiment score: -0.25

Over the past three years, Ireland has been consistent at a Foreign Affairs Council level, be it the full Council, the development formation in which I sit, or the defence formation, in making sure Sudan is on the agenda and that does not slip from the focus of European partners. What is happening in Sudan will end up on our doorstep in due course, when we see mass movement of people, the real impact on the wider political situation and the fragility in the area, but also when we see the spread of energy and food insecurity and how that feeds in. Ireland will ensure going forward, as we take over the Presidency on 1 July, that this remains a key issue for Europe and that Europe stands by the political pressure to bring peace to the area, to ensure the blockage embargo of weapons going into the region is upheld - something that is undermined greatly, including by EU member states, I regret to say - but also, crucially, to ensure the finance from the European Union, as well as bilaterally from member states, is maintained.

Sentiment score: 0.28

The short answer is "Yes" but I will give a little more detail to the context of how we do that. In recent years, Ireland's humanitarian support has included funding to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, country-based pooled fund, the UN population fund and the International Rescue Committee to target people most in need, particularly women and girls for aforementioned reasons. OCHA's Sudan pool is our largest partner in humanitarian response. This fund is a rapid and flexible funding mechanism, which supports national and international aid organisations and UN agencies to work in co-ordination with local partners to respond to chronic and emerging needs. The fund has received a major injection of funding from the US Government of €200 million. Our support to Irish Aid partner organisations including GOAL, Trócaire and Concern has enabled life-saving assistance to reach the most vulnerable communities, and we work consistently with the UN Refugee Agency, the International Committee of the Red Cross in Chad, Sudan and South Sudan. Ireland will continue to be a trusted partner. When we see development budgets being slashed by other member states it has a very real consequence. We have famine in Sudan due to the conflict there, but due to the cuts in aid and development it is harder to get a humanitarian response to starving children. We see an ebola outbreak in the DRC that is spreading in a virulent manner that is being affected by health systems that have been absolutely destroyed due to aid cuts. Our actions, or the inaction of our partners, have very real consequences that we will be dealing with for years to come.

Sentiment score: -0.02