Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position in Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1950/09]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 749: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will use his influence to ensure that the UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo is sufficiently strong to protect the civilian population; the efforts being made to stop the fighting in the country that has resulted in millions of deaths; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1923/09]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 762: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the fears of a further humanitarian crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2326/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 111, 749 and 762 together.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is slowly returning to stability after the horrors of the 1996-2003 civil war, but it remains a weak state which requires significant international support. Serious fighting broke out in the east of the country in August 2008 between ethnic Tutsi militias and the armed forces of DRC, forcing 250,000 people to flee their homes. This renewed fighting has had a grave humanitarian impact, bringing to over 1 million the number displaced in the North Kivu province. I am particularly shocked by the attacks by all sides — including units of the DRC armed forces — on the civilian population of the region, and by the disturbing level of sexual and gender based violence which has accompanied the conflict.

The situation in the provinces of North and South Kivu is now relatively calm, although it remains extremely tense, and it is too early to say what impact the ongoing Rwanda-DRC joint military operations there will have. I strongly urge all parties to do their utmost to protect the civilian population in the course of these actions. The work of the UN and humanitarian agencies in the region must be allowed to continue without interference. I am concerned by recent reports that the work of the UN has been impeded in the area of this latest military operation.

Ireland and its EU partners strongly support MONUC, the UN peacekeeping force in DRC, and we have welcomed the unanimous adoption by the UN Security Council on 20 November last of a resolution which authorised the reinforcement of MONUC to allow it to better protect the civilian population in the region. Ireland contributes three members of the Defence Forces to MONUC as Military Liaison Officers. I also welcome the adoption on 22 December 2008 of UN Security Council Resolutions 1856 and 1857, which extended the mandate of MONUC until 31 December 2009, and extended the sanctions regime in DRC. The issue of the deployment of a multi-national force in the region for an interim period to complement the work of MONUC is the subject of ongoing debate at the UN. The EU is closely monitoring the current discussions at the Security Council aimed at increasing the effectiveness of MONUC. With a longer term perspective, the EU has two ESDP (European Security and Defence Policy) missions in DRC, which provide assistance to the DRC authorities on security sector reform and police reform.

Only a political solution to the current conflict can provide the basis for durable peace in the region, and the international community has engaged in concerted efforts to this end. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has appointed the former Nigerian President, Mr. Olesegun Obasanjo, as his Special Envoy to the region to lead efforts to pursue a negotiated settlement. Talks have been convened in Nairobi between DRC government representatives and representatives of the ethnic Tutsi CNDP rebel group. Although some progress has been made in these talks, it remains to be seen what impact the arrest of CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda will have.

Fears of a further humanitarian crisis in the region arise from the continuing activities of the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), in north-eastern DRC. As they have fled from a joint operation involving the governments of Uganda, DRC and Southern Sudan, LRA forces have engaged in brutal attacks on the civilian population. I am gravely concerned by reports of abductions, rape, torture, looting and the destruction of property in the region, with an estimated 900 people having been killed as a result of this latest violence, and 130,000 displaced. Ireland has been able to respond rapidly to the humanitarian dimension of the crisis in DRC. An airlift of emergency relief supplies to eastern DRC was made in December. In 2008, a total of over €11 million in humanitarian aid funding was provided for DRC, bringing our total support to the country since 2006 to over €31 million.