Irish Bilateral Aid to Sudan - From Modernisation to Conditionality : Lessons Learned and Future Prospects

This paper critically analyses the experience of the Irish government in implementing bilateral aid to a conflict- prone country, Sudan, from the miod- 1970s to the late 1990s. It illustrates the shifting patterns of Irish bilateral aid to Sudan from first- generation (modernisation) activities to second- and third- generation activities that focused on basic needs and civil society. The paper demonstrates that, after a poor beginning, the Irish were successful in carrying out effective, poverty- focused development activities, despite on-going conflict in many parts of the country. Finally, the paper reviews the possibilities for and difficulties inherent in new possible potential engagements in Sudan in the event of a successful peace agreement in the south of the country, particularly given the current military conflict and humanitarian crisis in western Sudan