Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 35: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether Somalia has been neglected by the international community in the years following its famine; and his further views on recent developments and their human rights implications in that country. [25238/06]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 163: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the situation in Somalia has been resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25477/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 163 together.

The famine of 1991 occurred in the same year as the overthrow of the government of Said Barre. For 15 years, civil war raged and Somalia was widely seen as a 'failed state'. However, in recent years, there have been some positive developments despite current difficulties.

A National Reconciliation Conference, the fourteenth attempt to re-establish central government in the country, began in Kenya in October 2002 with financial support from Ireland and the EU. It resulted in the creation of Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) including the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) which, in October 2004, elected President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was inaugurated in December 2004. The formal relocation to Somalia of the TFIs began in June 2005. The first session of the TFP on Somali soil was held in Baidoa on 26 February 2006 with about 80 per cent of deputies in attendance. The TFP has continued its work since then and has made progress on some important initiatives including the National Security and Stabilisation Plan.

However, during the spring of 2006, Mogadishu experienced an upturn in violence as conflict escalated between the clan-based warlords who had controlled the city and a grouping called the Union of Islamic Courts. By mid-June, the Union of Islamic Courts had seized control of most of Mogadishu and some of the surrounding region. The TFG responded by sacking those ministers who had been involved in the conflict as warlords and declaring itself ready for dialogue with the Union of Islamic Courts. In its capacity as chair of the Arab League, the Government of Sudan hosted the first high-level talks between the two sides in Khartoum leading to an agreement on mutual recognition on 22 June. It is now likely that future talks will be held in Somalia.

The chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, has written to the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, calling for the establishment of friendly relations with the international community, based on mutual respect. Ireland, together with its EU partners, will continue to support a political solution as the only way to provide stability to the people of Somalia. I therefore look forward to ongoing dialogue between the TFG and the Union of Islamic Courts. The EU fully supports the efforts of the TFG to extend peace, stability and effective governance based on the rule of law throughout Somalia.

I condemn the murder of Swedish cameraman Martin Adler. I understand he was filming a demonstration in Mogadishu when he was killed on 23 June.

Somalia is one of the countries worst-affected by the drought currently afflicting the Horn of Africa. In many ways this sad situation demonstrates the link between peace and development. Fifteen years of conflict have destroyed infrastructure and livelihoods. In response to the current crisis, the Government has allocated €2.947 million in emergency humanitarian funding to Somalia so far this year. This is in addition to almost €3 million in emergency funding provided to a range of non-governmental organisations and UN agencies for programmes in Somalia in the 2004-2005 period. A further €1 million was apportioned to Concern and Trócaire under the Multi-Annual Programme in 2005.