John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Since 2020, there has been a 130% increase in violence in the Sahel region. In excess of 8,000 people were killed there last year as a result of militant Islamic violence. As the Minister of State outlined, temperatures are increasing as a consequence of climate change and are rising one and a half times faster than the global average. According to the UN development programme, with no way to make a living, as I outlined in my opening remarks, many young men in sub-Saharan Africa are being driven into the arms of Islamic terrorists. We are talking about countries such as Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan. Sub-Saharan Africa is described by the UN as the new global epicentre of violence and extremism. In 2021, 48% of global deaths from terrorism occurred there. There is a major crisis there which needs serious intervention. We have seen the military experiment in the region by the EU fail. There needs to be serious investment, given the fact the World Food Programme is being cut. Immediate action is needed.

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