Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 324: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the deteriorating situation in Somalia, described by UN officials in the region as a bigger humanitarian crisis than Darfur; his views on the role that the so-called war on terror has played in creating this catastrophe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32422/07]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 326: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing conflict in Somalia, with particular reference to violence in the capital Mogadishu; the details of discussions he has held at international level, be it EU or UN, with counterparts with regard to trying to offer assistance to those innocent persons so terribly afflicted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32467/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 326 together.

I am aware of the seriousness of the current situation in Somalia. Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, and the situation there has worsened in recent months following initial stability after the December 2006 Ethiopian invasion. An upsurge in violence was triggered at the end of October by the killings of Ethiopian soldiers, whose bodies were later dragged through the streets. There has been intense fighting in the capital Mogadishu between Ethiopian and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces on the one hand, and clan militias and Islamists on the other hand, prompting many to flee the capital.

UNHCR estimates that more than 200,000 people have fled Mogadishu since the start of November. It is now estimated that 60% of the population of Mogadishu, or 600,000 people, have been displaced from there since February. This brings the total number of people displaced since the start of 2007 to approximately one million and up to one and a half million need humanitarian aid. Most of those fleeing Mogadishu have sought shelter in temporary settlements near Afgooye. A UN inter-agency mission which visited a small number of these sites noted critical requirements for shelter materials, water & sanitary facilities, health care and livelihood interventions. The problems faced by humanitarian organisations who are attempting to assist those displaced include lack of access to and from air strips, administrative impediments, TFG 'taxes' on relief goods, and the arrest of personnel (the Director of Operations of the World Food Programme was detained from 17-23 October).

The situation in Somalia was discussed at the UN Security Council in October. The Special Representative of the Secretary General, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, will brief the Security Council in December, following his ongoing visit to Somalia, where he has held discussions with President Yusuf, and the new Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein, on the need to resolve the ongoing crisis by peaceful means. Mr Ould-Abdallah also met with NGOs and members of the Somali opposition in Djibouti last week.

Somalia was discussed by senior EU officials in Brussels on 21 November. The next General Affairs and External Affairs Council on 10-11 December is likely to take up the issue of Somalia, and agree Council Conclusions on the way forward. I will ensure that these Conclusions stress the need for a political solution to the violence in Somalia, without which there is no prospect of putting an end to the suffering of the Somali people. I also believe that the issue of humanitarian access is critically important, and that the EU should use its influence in this regard.

Irish Aid support to Somalia amounted to over €5 million in 2006, and over €7 million so far this year. This funding is channelled through Irish and international NGOs, as well as UN agencies such as OCHA, UNDP, the World Food Programme and UNICEF. I will continue to follow this tragic situation closely.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 325: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Congo; the details of discussions he has held at international level, be it EU or UN, with counterparts with regard to trying to offer assistance to those innocent persons so terribly afflicted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32466/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The renewed conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the major humanitarian emergency to which it has given rise, poses a serious threat to the transition process in that country and needs to be addressed urgently. A number of armed militias are preying on the population in North and South Kivu provinces, and attempts by government troops to resolve the situation by force risk visiting further suffering on the people of the region. Ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions has further heightened tensions.

Closer regional cooperation in addressing this situation is vital. I therefore very much welcome the recent communiqué between the DRC and Rwanda, signed on 9 November in Nairobi, vowing to tackle the problems in the east of the DRC in an integrated fashion. It is important that the DRC Army, the FARDC, should act impartially, and carry out its operations with full respect for human rights and the rule of law, ensuring that it is not seen as being aligned with any particular ethnic group.

My EU colleagues and I last discussed the situation in the east of the DRC at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in October. Following our discussion, the EU issued a Declaration calling for an end to the violence and expressing its deep concern in particular over the concentration of military forces in the region and urging a constructive dialogue between all concerned parties.

In the period 2005 to date Ireland has provided over €16.75 million in humanitarian assistance to the DRC. Almost €8 million has been provided thus far in 2007. I am extremely concerned about the humanitarian impact of the fighting this year in North Kivu, which has forced more than 370,000 civilians to flee their homes. Also many tens of thousands of displaced people in the province of South Kivu face serious food shortages in the coming months after their crops were destroyed by heavy rainfall in the region. Ireland remains committed to continuing to support the DRC, including through provision of emergency and recovery assistance as well as any other forms of assistance deemed appropriate.

Ultimately, an end to the conflict in eastern DRC will only be found by the creation of stability and the establishment of the rule of law throughout DRC. Security sector reform, demobilisation and disarmament, ending impunity, and establishing an effective, fair and transparent system of justice are all urgently required. The European Union, including Ireland, is fully committed to helping the Congolese government to tackle these problems. On the ground, the EUPOL DR Congo mission is assisting in police reform, and the EUSEC DR Congo mission is offering guidance on army integration and other security issues. In 2006, Ireland provided €500,000 to support demobilisation and disarmament in the wider Great Lakes region. Establishing stability and justice will be a slow process, but the EU is committed to providing assistance in the long term.

The international community is also attempting to address the ongoing conflict in DRC. I fully support the work of the United Nations in the DRC, especially the contribution that the UN's peace-keeping mission, MONUC, has made to ensuring stability in the Ituri region in the north. The DRC is also one of four country situations where the International Criminal Court (ICC) has currently decided to act, and two individuals from DRC have been arrested and will stand trial in The Hague. The ICC Chief Prosecutor is currently in the process of selecting a third case from the DRC.