Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 110: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding aid to Somalia; if it remains the case that it is felt unsafe for a UN peacekeeping force to be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10296/08]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 124: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the response made to recent bombings in Somalia by US forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10298/08]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 124 together.

I remain very concerned at the situation in Somalia. The country has been without an effective government since 1991, and despite an initial period of stability after Ethiopian troops and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces defeated the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in December 2006, the situation has worsened in recent months. Fighting in Mogadishu since October has prompted hundreds of thousands to flee the capital, adding to the humanitarian crisis. In total, approximately one million people have been displaced since the start of 2007, while up to one and a half million need humanitarian aid.

Re-establishing security and the rule of law remains a major challenge. The first troops from an African Union-mandated peace support force (AMISOM) were deployed to Mogadishu in March 2007 but with less than a quarter of the planned 8,000 troops on the ground, AMISOM has not been able to bring any important measure of stability. AMISOM's current mandate runs until next August and some informal consideration has taken place regarding a UN peace-keeping mission succeeding AMISOM. However, UN Secretary General Ban has made it clear to the Security Council that, due to the prevailing political and security situation, the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to Somalia is not a realistic option for the time being.

The United States carried out a missile attack on the town of Dhoble in the south of the country on 3 March 2008, targeting a suspected Al Qaeda member who the US allege may have been responsible for bombings of US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in 2002. Reports suggest that at least four civilians were killed in the air strikes, and obviously any such loss of life is greatly to be regretted. Supporting a swift return to peace, stability and the rule of law in Somalia is the best way to prevent the country from becoming further destabilised and a haven for terrorists. My EU colleagues and I discussed the situation in Somalia at the General Affairs and External Affairs Council in December 2007. We agreed that a political solution will be the key to ending the suffering of the Somali people. The newly appointed Prime Minister in the TFG, Nur Hassan Hussein, has stated his willingness to engage in discussion with the Islamic opposition and contacts have already been initiated with members of the opposition based in Asmara. The EU will continue to extend whatever assistance it can to support the promotion of internal dialogue and national reconciliation within Somalia.

Ireland has regularly highlighted the priority which must be given to ensuring unobstructed humanitarian access in Somalia and has urged that the EU use its influence in this regard. In early November 2007, a member of the recently established Rapid Response Corps was deployed as a Logistics Officer to UNHCR's Somalia Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya. At the end of his three month deployment, a second member of the Corps, also a logistician, was deployed to replace him. Since 2006, Irish Aid has provided over €15 million in humanitarian assistance to the Somali people, and Ireland stands ready to provide further assistance as required.