Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I, too, support the motion. It a comprehensive motion covering almost all the points I would like to make except to say that we had a meeting this morning with the director of the European Union External Action Force who has responsibility for Africa and we touched on this subject matter.

I have visited this region and I know it reasonably well. In terms of this conflict, millions of people having been murdered, raped, displaced and so on yet of all the areas of international conflict, and we have just dealt with Syria which is a relatively recent one, this conflict has been ongoing but the international organisations specified in the motion do not appear to have acted either in collaboration with one another or taken the issue seriously enough to the extent that there is a resolution on the horizon.

It may be premature of me to condemn some of the African countries but it is rumoured that Rwanda is playing a very important role in arming the rebels in that area. It is astounding that the M23 rebels could move into Goma, which was protected by the United Nations force, and then threaten to march on to Kisangani, although one would not march from Kisangani to Kinshasa; they probably took boats down the river. They threatened Kinshasa, the capital, which is thousands of miles away. Somebody is pulling strings in the region and I suspect the finger is being pointed at Rwanda. These troops have now withdrawn from Goma, which means someone is applying pressure somewhere, and talks have restarted among Kinshasa, Uganda and Rwanda. Given the number of countries immediately adjoining that wealthy Congolese eastern region, which is the minining region, we should ask the African Union what it is doing about that. It is in the African continent. The African Union is becoming more powerful and more engaged in conflicts within the continent of Africa.

This motion, having been passed, should be forwarded to the Department. We should try to use our international linkages, and certainly the Presidency of the European Union, to make an impression on this region.