Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the international community expect to stabilise the situation in Darfur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21996/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 150: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the international community plans to make further positive intervention in the Sudan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21997/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 149 and 150 together.

The situation in Sudan continues to be a focus of considerable international concern with attention centring on the resolution of the ongoing conflict in Darfur, support for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended the north-south civil war, and efforts to address the consequences of the Sudanese Government's decision in March to expel thirteen international humanitarian agencies from the country. Recent months have seen considerable engagement on these issues by the United Nations, by Sudan's regional neighbours through the African Union, and by the European Union.

The persistence of the conflict in Darfur, coupled with the ongoing suffering of the people of the region, are matters of grave concern. Despite a number of ceasefires and peace agreements, hostilities on the ground continue. International efforts to bring an end to the conflict are being led by the joint AU-UN chief mediator, Djibril Bassolé, whose work Ireland fully supports. Progress in peace talks has been disappointingly slow and the "Agreement of Good Will and Confidence Building" signed in Doha in February by the Sudanese Government and the JEM rebel group, falls far short of a full peace deal. The AU has established a High Level Panel on Darfur, under the chairmanship of former President Thabo Mbeki, whose mandate encompasses peace and reconciliation in Darfur. Members of the Panel visited Darfur in April and are due to report in July. Meanwhile the fighting in Darfur continues. It is imperative and long overdue that all sides demonstrate the political will and commitment needed to resolve this long-running conflict.

Ensuring the full implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which brought an end to the north-south conflict in Sudan, is also a priority for the international community. Serious north-south violence continues to erupt from time to time, and there are continuing tensions over north-south boundary demarcation and the division of oil wealth. South Sudan remains chronically under-developed and a referendum on independence is scheduled for 2011. International donors, including the EU, are currently examining the most appropriate modalities for supporting the development of the south and the consolidation of the peace deal.

The expulsion by the Sudanese Government in March of thirteen international humanitarian organisations, following the announcement by the International Criminal Court of the issue of a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir, gave rise to serious concern internationally. The agencies concerned accounted for over 40 per cent of all aid in Sudan, and provided food, safe water and basic health care to more than a million people. The United Nations has been very active in assessing the potential consequences of these expulsions and working to put alternative humanitarian capacity in place. International partners have put strong pressure on the Sudanese Government to encourage them to reconsider the expulsions, and to ensure that their impact on the humanitarian situation is minimised.

Ireland has played an important part in the international response to the humanitarian situation in Sudan. Since 2006, Ireland has provided over €50 million in funding for work in Sudan, including Darfur. The Irish Aid Rapid Response Corps currently has five people on deployment with UN agencies in Sudan.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the situation in Chad has improved or stabilised; if intervention by the international community can assist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21998/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The situation in Chad has long been characterised by north-south tensions, and since 2002 the stability of the country has been threatened by armed rebellion against the government of President Idriss Déby. While the government signed an accord with civilian opposition parties in 2007, providing for a degree of political reform, armed rebel groups have remained active and intent on overthrowing the government by force. A major rebel offensive threatened the capital, N'Djamena, in February 2008, but was ultimately defeated by government forces.

The consolidation of a range of disparate rebel groups under the banner of the Union des Forces de la Résistance (UFR) in November 2008 preceded a significant military build-up by both government and rebel forces. After a prolonged period of relative calm, the UFR launched an offensive from the vicinity of the border with Sudan in early May. The rebels' objective appears to have been to reach N'Djamena, as they had previously. In an engagement on 7 May near Am Dam in eastern Chad, government forces succeeded in halting the rebel advance.

The Chadian government has accused Sudan of supporting the rebels, and there are clear links between fighting in Chad and the ongoing conflict in Darfur. The significant flow of refugees from the Darfur conflict into eastern Chad has also had consequences for the stability of the region. In the main, interventions by the international community in Chad have been aimed at protecting these refugees, and ensuring that humanitarian assistance can be provided. These interventions have had a positive impact in stabilising the situation in eastern Chad.

The European Union operation in Chad and the Central African Republic (EUFOR Tchad/RCA) was established for a period of one year from March 2008. It played a key role in ensuring the security of refugees and displaced persons living in camps along the eastern border of Chad, and in facilitating the provision of humanitarian relief. I wish to pay tribute to the success of EUFOR and to the professionalism of the members of the Irish Defence Forces who participated in the mission, including Lieutenant General Pat Nash, the Operation Commander.

EUFOR transferred authority to the UN mission, MINURCAT, on 15 March 2009. Over 400 Irish troops are now serving with MINURCAT. The mandate of the military aspect of MINURCAT is similar to that of EUFOR. Since the UN took over responsibility it has faced a number of challenges, including the upsurge in rebel activities, and difficulties with force generation. Ireland has strongly supported the EUFOR mission from the outset, and we will continue to support MINURCAT.

Given the links between instability in Chad and the conflict in Darfur, efforts by the international community to resolve the Darfur crisis are likely, if successful, to have a positive impact on the situation in Chad. Cooperation between the governments of Sudan and Chad in addressing the causes of instability in the region is also vital, and I urge both governments to work together towards this objective. Ireland will continue to monitor the political and humanitarian situation in Chad, and support humanitarian relief efforts, to which Irish Aid has contributed more than €14.6 million since 2007.