Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 115: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the current political situation in Darfur and Chad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29341/07]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 120: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his visit to Chad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30784/07]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 120 together.

I visited both Sudan and Chad from 14-16 November last. Whilst in Khartoum on 14 November, I met with President Bashir, acting Foreign Minister Ali Karti, and Minni Minnawi, the leader of the SLA faction which signed the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) in 2006. I also met with representatives of the main UN agencies and of Irish and international NGOs which are active in Darfur. In my meetings with the Government, I expressed Ireland's disappointment at the lack of progress in implementing the DPA, and at the failure of many rebel groups to travel to Libya for the current talks process. I urged that the Government re-consider its unwillingness to agree to deployment of non-African personnel and capabilities with the UN/African Union hybrid force, UNAMID. I also emphasised in my discussions with President Bashir and the acting Foreign Minister the importance Ireland attaches to access for humanitarian agencies and personnel in their life-saving work in Darfur. I urged that the UN/Government of Sudan Joint Communiqué on humanitarian access be renewed when it expires in January.

I also expressed my concern over difficulties with implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between north and south. I am satisfied that the Sudanese Government remains committed to the CPA and has no wish to return to war with the south. I subsequently travelled to N'Djamena on 15 November for discussions with Chadian Government representatives, including Prime Minister Coumakoye, Foreign Minister Allam-Mi, Defence Minister Nour (a former rebel leader), and the State Secretary for the Interior. I also met with opposition leader Lol Chouat, and with representatives of UN agencies and non-governmental organisations active in Chad. I outlined Ireland's expected role in the UN-mandated EUFOR Tchad/RCA mission and our commitment to the humanitarian objectives of that mission and also referred to the Government's plans to increase support for humanitarian and recovery activity in Chad. Prime Minister Coumakoye and his colleagues expressed warm appreciation for the deployment of EUFOR Tchad/RCA as well as Ireland's lead role within the Mission.

I travelled to Abeche in eastern Chad on 16 November where I visited a number of camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees and met with local government and UN representatives. My visit to eastern Chad confirmed the serious humanitarian and security situation obtaining in that vulnerable region and the valuable role which EUFOR Tchad/RCA can play in helping to address and improve this situation.

Negotiations between the Government of Sudan and the Darfur rebel factions began on 27 October in Libya under joint AU/UN mediation. However, the start of this process was overshadowed by the absence of many of the principal rebel groups, which boycotted the talks. The UN and AU have sent representatives to Darfur and Juba to find and speak with the rebels who did not attend, and it is hoped that the talks will recommence in December. Although there have been some improvements in recent months on humanitarian access in Darfur on foot of the UN/Government of Sudan Joint Communiqué agreed last March, the humanitarian situation is again becoming more difficult. The fragmentation of the rebel groups, growing tensions within camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and banditry in the countryside are making the tasks of both peace negotiators and humanitarian agencies increasingly difficult.

Since 2002, the stability of Chad has been threatened by armed rebellion arising from clashes between ethnic-based militias and Government forces, incursions by Janjaweed from Sudan, and inter-Chadian Arab/non Arab clashes. Following an agreement with the rebel Front Unifie pour le Changement in 2006, the Chadian Government reached a similar agreement in October 2007 with representatives of four of the main remaining armed rebel groups. This agreement calls for an amnesty and a role for rebels in government, in return for a ceasefire and the integration of their forces into the army. However, implementation will present challenges, and not all of the rebels have yet laid down their arms. The Chadian Government also reached an agreement with the peaceful political opposition in August 2007, which postponed legislative elections to 2009 while a new electoral system is introduced. Chad's unsettled internal situation has been exacerbated by a spill-over of instability from Darfur, and more than 180,000 internally displaced Chadians and 236,000 Sudanese refugees live in camps in eastern Chad.