Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the continuing unrest in Uganda; the efforts the Government has made to highlight the plight of children in Uganda who are being kidnapped to fight in the Lord's Resistance Army; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39311/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I remain gravely concerned at the long running conflict and related humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda, the deaths of many thousands of people and the displacement of over 1.5 million people. An estimated 20,000 children have been cruelly abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army, LRA, during its 19 year campaign of violence. The situation is one which clearly merits increased international attention and this is something which Ireland, in collaboration with our EU partners, has been actively working to achieve.

The General Affairs and External Relations Council, meeting in Brussels on 7 November, discussed the situation in northern Uganda and expressed its grave concern at the deteriorating security situation there, which had led the UN and a number of NGOs to suspend temporarily their humanitarian operations. The UN has now resumed deliveries of humanitarian aid and has indicated that it intends to increase its international presence in northern Uganda in 2006. The primary responsibility for improving security in northern Uganda rests with the Ugandan Government and the Council has called clearly on the Ugandan Government in this respect to ensure urgently that all of its citizens are protected and provided for.

The recent upsurge in violence by the LRA appears to have been prompted by the issuing of indictments on 13 October 2005 by the International Criminal Court, ICC, for the arrest of five LRA commanders, including the leader of the LRA, Joseph Kony. This represents a historic development for the court and it is now incumbent on all those involved, including any neighbouring states in which the LRA leaders concerned may be sheltering, to facilitate the arrest of the individuals now indicted. The Government is strongly supportive of the International Criminal Court and would urge that its investigation into all serious violations of human rights committed in northern Uganda since 1 July 2002, the date of establishment of the ICC, should continue.

A recent positive development has been the call by the deputy commander of the LRA, Vincent Otti, one of those indicted by the ICC, for a resumption of peace talks between the LRA and the Ugandan Government. I encourage the Ugandan Government to respond positively to this overture. Independent mediation efforts are continuing to bring about a resumption of such talks, following a number of failed initiatives in the recent past. EU ambassadors in Kampala, including Ireland's chargé d'affaires, have been actively involved in efforts to promote a peaceful resolution of the conflict and will continue to lend what support they can to achieve this.

Ireland and its EU partners will also continue to encourage the Ugandan Government to do more to promote the much needed economic and social development of northern Uganda. The EU stands ready to provide further assistance to the humanitarian effort and to do what it can to support steps towards reconciliation in northern Uganda. Ireland has provided humanitarian assistance of €650,000 to date in 2005 to address the humanitarian situation and it is expected that further assistance will be provided to Irish NGOs operating in the region at an early date. Development Co-operation Ireland has also supported NGOs in northern Uganda providing shelter to the thousands of children and young people who are required to flee their homes each night, for fear of possible abduction by the LRA or worse.