One cannot but fully support the maintenance of humanitarian action by the EU in South Sudan. Also its extension and strengthening. However, the time has come for the Union, on an autonomous basis, to initiate and improve its intelligence-gathering and assessment capabilities in Sudan and contiguous areas regarding: security; changing patterns of tribal and ethnic tensions; land use; raw material resource potential and contested claims to such resources; climate change; and most importantly perhaps, ongoing population movements, voluntary or not. Such capabilities are at present deficient. On population movements, we need to know what the prospects are over the short to medium term. Tension and strife in the Sudan and contiguous areas have triggered bloody civil wars, dilapidated infrastructures, destroyed stable social structures and forced millions to find refuge away from their home. This has contributed to the disruptive pressures of illegal immigration across North Africa and the Mediterranean. We need a better understanding of the extent to which these pressures can develop, or to which they can be relieved, so that humanitarian and immigration commitments are made by the EU and nation states within a framework that our citizens will consider to be reasonable, prudent and enlightened.
Maltese version
Wieħed ma jistax għajr jappoġġja bis-sħiħ l-azzjoni umanitarja mill-UE fis-Sudan t’Isfel, kif ukoll l-estensjoni u t-tisħiħ tagħha. Madankollu, wasal iż-żmien li l-Unjoni, fuq bażi awtonoma, tniedi u ttejjeb l- ġbir tal-informazzjoni tagħha u l-kapaċitajiet tal-valutazzjoni ġewwa s-Sudan u l-inħawi tal-madwar fir-rigward tas-sigurtà; tensjoni tribali u etniċi u l-mod kif jinbidlu; l-użu tal-art; il-potenzjal tar-riżorsi f’materja prima u l-kompetizzjoni għal tali riżorsi; it-tibdil fil-klima; u jaf aktar importanti, il-movimenti kontinwi tal-popolazzjonijiet, kemm dawk fuq bażi volontarja u kemm dawk li le. Fil-preżent dawn il-kapaċitajiet huma neqsin. Dwar il-movimenti tal-popolazzjonijiet, għandna bżonn inkunu nafu x’inhuma l-prospetti fuq medda ta’ żmien qasira kif ukoll dik medja. Tensjonijiet u kunflitti fis-Sudan u l-inħawi tal-madwar wasslu għal gwerer ċivili mdemmija, infrastruttura mwiegħra, strutturi soċjali meqruda, u waqt li sfurzaw miljuni ta’ persuni li jsibu kenn il’bogħod minn darhom. Dan ikkontribwixxa lejn il-pressjonijiet tal-immigrazzjoni illegali ġewwa l-Afrika u l-Mediterran. Għandna bżonn nifhmu aħjar il-punt sa fejn dawn il-pressjonijiet jistgħu jiżviluppaw, kif ukoll il-modi kif jistgħu jittaffew. Dan, għandu jsir biex l-impenji umanitarji u l-impenji dwar l-immigrazzjoni li jiġu magħmula mill-UE u l-istati membri jitwettqu f’qafas li ċ-ċittadini tagħna jkunu jistgħu jikkunsidraw bħala raġonevoli, prudenti u ħanin.
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