Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Some of our guests referred to what happened in the Horn of Africa, particularly in the context of the warning signs that were available beforehand. Criticism has been levelled at the UN, the EU and other entities for not taking action in the Horn of Africa despite the existence of those warning signs, namely, population movement, drought and conflict. Our guests have intimated that a more or less similar situation is evolving in South Sudan at present, with the displacement and movement of people, atrocious weather conditions - including both drought and extremely wet weather - and conflict. The similarities are striking. Members of the committee visited Ethiopia three years ago and at the Togo refugee camp in the south of the country we met refugees from the Blue Nile region. They informed us of the terrible atrocities they had endured and which had forced them to flee their homeland. Obviously, the conflict there remains ongoing. What are the UN, the African Union and other political entities doing in respect of this matter? Pledges relating to financial contributions were made at the Oslo conference a few months ago. Clearly, however, there is a need for a political settlement in order to ensure that the situation will not develop in the same way as that which arose in the Horn of Africa a number of years ago. Will our guests comment on that matter?