Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the collaboration between Mr. King and RTE on the series and, in particular, the recent programme. RTE often gets abused unfairly. In this instance we have a strong representation of public service broadcasting at its best. The programme raised awareness for me as a member of this committee of the complexity and extent of the problem in the Congo and the region in general. If I was not aware of the complexity of the issue as a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs where does it leave the ordinary citizen in terms of their understanding?

The Congo is considered by some to be a democratic country but it takes more than parliamentary and presidential elections to make a democracy. Is there any one individual or a number of people from all sides of the conflict in whom the witnesses would have confidence, who would see the bigger picture, and who would drive peace and reform from within? It has been stated time and again when we are discussing international conflicts that we as westerners and Europeans cannot impose a solution on a situation such as this. Deputy Crowe referred to the fact previously. We can use our influence and we have a considerable moral responsibility in the European Union in particular given the colonial past. Who is shouting "Stop"? We have a country that is mineral-rich that has an enormous amount of resources at its disposal. The country could be extremely rich and could have a diverse, strong and sustainable economy which could provide resources and opportunities for all of its citizens. Do the witnesses have hope that an individual or group of people in Congolese society could turn the situation around?

Where does the International Criminal Court stand on what is happening in the Congo? There has been a resounding silence from the international community and transnational bodies on the issue, which is disgraceful. It is scandalous. I noted in the written presentation the situation with regard to child soldiers. We have come across it all too frequently in our examination of conflicts across the world. It struck me that it is believed that 30,000 child soldiers are involved in the conflict, 30% to 40% of whom are young girls. That concerns me, not just for the present but for the future as well. We have talked about the dehumanisation of women by rape and now we are talking about young girls being dehumanised and exposed to all of the excesses of conflict. If we are to have any confidence in the future of the Congo, while it might sound like a cliché, it will involve the young people and empowering women. I am seriously concerned about the future if 10,000 to 15,000 young girls have been co-opted into various armed forces.