Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the killers of a French aid worker (details supplied) who was killed in Chad earlier in May 2008 have been apprehended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20150/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The situation in Chad remains complex, fluid and fragile. United Nations agencies and NGOs have identified deteriorating security and internal displacement as two of the chief operational challenges they face in addressing the humanitarian situation in eastern Chad. The problem of insecurity that affects the civilian population and humanitarian actors in eastern Chad on a daily basis is one of the reasons why EUFOR Tchad/RCA was deployed in the country. EUFOR's mandate, authorised by UN Security Council Resolution 1778 (2007), is to contribute to the protection of vulnerable civilian populations and facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance. Creating the security conditions conducive to a voluntary, secure and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons is a joint aim of both EUFOR and the UN mission in Chad, MINURCAT.

Unfortunately those responsible for the tragic killing of a French aid worker in Chad have not been brought to justice, and this is very regrettable. It is essential that aid workers can work safely and securely in this environment to ensure that the most vulnerable in society receive the assistance they need. EUFOR, along with MINURCAT, will continue to do all within its capabilities to ensure the safety of all humanitarian actors. Changing the political context in Chad, by moving decisively towards inclusive and stable democracy with strong institutions, is the only way to break the cycle of violence and conflict which has engulfed that country for far too long, and to end impunity for serious crimes. Ireland and the EU will continue to press for this.