More than 20,000 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
More than 12 million people have been displaced since the civil war broke out in April 2023.
And some 26 million civilians are in danger due to the conflict and hunger, with 700,000 children under the age of five at risk of dying from starvation.
The former Irish President and Chair of The Elders was speaking at an emergency briefing on the situation in Sudan, which has been described as a “nightmare” by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“It is the biggest humanitarian crisis and it gets very little attention. It amounts to a kind of indifference about human beings,” Mrs Robinson said.
Mrs Robinson said that Ireland must act as a voice for the Sudanese people at the UN General Assembly and Summit of the Future taking place in New York at the end of this month.
“Ireland has a deserved reputation for addressing global hunger. Our voice needs to be heard, and it needs to be heard at the highest level in New York later this month.”
During the event, which was organised by Dóchas, she also stressed how women can help resolve conflict, stating that “far too much of peacekeeping nowadays is the bad men coming together under television lights, semi making peace and then reneging on it”.
“What we need to do is build a peace from the ground up using women in the community to build that peace,” she added.
The panel, which included charities Concern Worldwide, Goal, Trócaire, and World Vision Ireland, saw numerous CEOs come together to release a statement declaring the situation in Sudan a “crisis of historic proportions”.
“The world has neglected the people of Sudan over the past year,” it said.
“Many have been forced to flee repeatedly, with little to no access to shelter, income and basic necessities. Approximately one in seven of the world’s internally displaced people is Sudanese.
“We are working with Sudanese organizations and community volunteers, who have been at the forefront of response efforts since the conflict began. Humanitarian workers continue to deliver, despite the immense challenges including lack of access, and threats to safety.”
GOAL CEO Siobhan Walsh also spoke about the issue of sexual violence in Sudan, saying: “The stories from our female staff are absolutely harrowing. They are talking about armed fighters coming into the IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camps, and raping mothers and daughters, and forcing young girls into marriage. As a result there are reports of many young girls becoming pregnant.”
And Trócaire CEO, Caoimhe de Barra, urged that Ireland take action and commit to playing a role in ending the conflict.
“We have witnessed this crisis unfold from an opportunity for democratic reform, to a battle for power with little regard for those in its path. This is a man-made crisis, today, in real-time, forgotten, ignored even. Nothing will echo louder now for the people of Sudan than the silencing of the guns and our haste. Help delayed is help denied,” she said.