Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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7. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the deepening crisis and continued violence in the Central African Republic; if his Department pledged funding and assistance to those affected; and if he has discussed the crisis with his EU counterparts. [1439/14]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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81. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the assistance provided to date by Irish Aid to the Central African Republic; the proposals he has to provide further humanitarian assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1638/14]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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91. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his colleagues at EU and UN level can actively engage with the various factions in the Central African Republic with particular reference to the need to bring about an early cessation of violence and the instigation of a peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1777/14]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Recently, in a welcome move, the President and Prime Minister of the Central African Republic have stepped down. Hopefully, this will help to calm the situation there and restore hope and order, which will not be easy. We have all heard the shocking stories about massacres and seen the horrific images emanating from that country.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 81 and 91 together.

I share the concern about the dangerous situation in the Central African Republic. At the last meeting of the foreign affairs Council on 16 December, I welcomed the decision of the United Nations to upgrade the crisis in the country to a Level III emergency, which should facilitate increased delivery of humanitarian aid. I also welcomed the peacekeeping role being undertaken by the African Union and by France. I drew attention to the appalling violence and human rights abuses which have been reported and I expressed the view that a comprehensive UN-led response, including a UN peacekeeping operation, will be required to ensure long-term stability. At the Council, Ministers agreed to examine the possible use of EU Common Security and Defence Policy instruments to help in the stabilisation efforts. We will discuss these options further, and the international humanitarian response to the crisis, at the January meeting of the Council in Brussels next Monday.

It is clear that the worsening security situation is limiting humanitarian access to those in need in the Central African Republic. The UN estimates that 935,000 people, approximately one in five of the entire population, are now displaced within the country. A total of 2.2 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Ireland has been responding strongly. We are among the top ten international donors of humanitarian assistance to the Central African Republic, in line with our commitment to addressing protracted, and often forgotten, humanitarian crises. Since 2008, Ireland has provided €12 million in humanitarian aid to the Central African Republic, including an allocation of €2 million just last month.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome that the Government has pledged €2 million in funding to provide life-saving emergency assistance to civilians in the Central African Republic. That country is one of the most disadvantaged states in Africa. Its population was extremely vulnerable before the outbreak of this crisis, so I hope the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to do all it can to alleviate the suffering of those civilians.

Today, Mr. John Ging of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that the Central African Republic was in a mega crisis, so to speak. The violence has also led to the displacement of almost 1 million people who have had to leave their homes throughout the country. Does the Government have any specific plans to help these displaced people?

The Tánaiste said that the matter will be discussed shortly by EU foreign ministers, including the possibility of sending an EU military force to the Central African Republic. Has the Tánaiste been involved in discussions leading up to this and is he in favour of sending Irish troops to the region? Has this been discussed at Cabinet level?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I expect we will discuss the situation in the Cental African Republic at the Foreign Affairs Council next Monday. I welcome the adoption by the United Nations Security Council on 5 December 2013 of Resolution 2127. It authorised the deployment of an African Union-led peacekeeping force for 12 months, and the deployment of French forces to support the African Union mission. At a conference in Paris in December, African leaders also indicated that the number of African troops to be deployed to the Central African Republic will increase to 6,000. I commend the African Union and France for their leadership roles in the crisis. I hope the peacekeeping mission can help to bring stability to the country and restore security and public order, as well as protecting the civilian population.

We have been intensifying our humanitarian effort together with our EU partners. It is our view, however, that a comprehensive UN-led response is the best mechanism to deal with the root causes of the crisis, to restore law and order, and ensure long-term stability. In this context, I hope the option of a UN peacekeeping operation will continue to be considered.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Have we any answer to helping the displaced people from that region? Have there been discussions on Irish involvement in sending EU military forces to the Central African Republic?

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome that the Government has provided substantial aid and I hope it will be possible to continue that assistance. I urge the Tánaiste to ensure every opportunity is taken, at both official and political levels, to highlight the terrible situation facing so many people. I recall reading that more than 1 million people have had to leave their homes. An official of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that the situation for people outside the capital was even worse because they are geographically isolated. It is harder, therefore, to get assistance to them. For some the options are stark: stay in the jungle and die or come back and possibly be killed. It is a frightening situation. I welcome the aid that has been given and one hopes it will be possible to provide more assistance at an early date.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland's approach to this issue is, first, to concentrate on the humanitarian assistance we can provide. I have indicated that we are doing that. Second, we are urging that this be dealt with through a UN mechanism. A possible European Union common security and defence policy, CSDP, mission, maybe as some kind of an interim measure pending a UN mission, has been given some consideration. I expect it will be discussed again on Monday.

In regard to Irish involvement in missions, we are governed in this regard by the triple lock mechanism of a UN mandate, a Government decision and a decision of the Dáil. We have not discussed or been asked to participate in any such mission. In any event, it would be a matter I would have to discuss with the Minister for Defence. Our approach to this is on the humanitarian side and to continue to urge a UN-led approach to dealing with the problem.