Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 174: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action being taken at EU and UN level to address the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23527/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The international community is closely following the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the country recovers from the effects of the brutal 1996-2003 civil war. I very much regret that, while much of the country has achieved a degree of stability, several localised conflicts have continued, in particular in the east of the country. These conflicts have in many cases been characterised by an appalling degree of brutality, with large-scale attacks on the civilian population and widespread sexual violence. The humanitarian situation in eastern DRC, where more than a million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the effects of ongoing conflict, remains a cause of deep concern. The international community is working to promote a negotiated end to the conflicts which persist, to address immediate humanitarian needs, and to develop the capacity of the Congolese state to protect its people.

The United Nations has sought to enhance stability in DRC through the work of MONUC, the UN's largest peacekeeping mission. MONUC is mandated to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel; to carry out disarmament and demobilisation of armed groups; to train the DRC security forces; and to support the strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law. Ireland and our EU partners strongly support MONUC, and have welcomed the UN Security Council's decision to authorise the reinforcement of the mission to allow it to meet more effectively the challenges it currently faces. Ireland contributes three members of the Irish Defence Forces to MONUC as military liaison officers.

At a political level, the UN Secretary-General has appointed the former Nigerian president, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, as his special envoy to address the challenges to peace and security posed by the continued presence and activities of armed groups in eastern DRC. Talks in Nairobi convened by Mr. Obasanjo in cooperation with the facilitator appointed by the African Union, the former Tanzanian president Mr. Benjamin Mkapa, have led to the integration of former rebel fighters into the DRC armed forces.

The EU has also been active in supporting efforts to address ongoing instability in the DRC. The EU's Special Representative for the Great Lakes region, Mr. Roeland van de Geer, leads the EU's efforts to assist in stabilising eastern DRC, and has played a key role in supporting the work of the UN and AU facilitators. Two missions are currently active in DRC as part of the European Security and Defence Policy: The EU has also been active in supporting efforts to address ongoing instability in the DRC. The EU's Special Representative for the Great Lakes region, Mr. Roeland van de Geer, leads the EU's efforts to assist in stabilising eastern DRC, and has played a key role in supporting the work of the UN and AU facilitators. Two missions are currently active in DRC as part of the European Security and Defence Policy: EUSEC, a Security Sector Reform mission supporting the Congolese authorities in the key task of providing advice and assistance for security sector reform, and EUPOL, a policing mission monitoring, mentoring and advising the Congolese police. These missions underline the EU's commitment to the Congolese people and the importance of consolidating the rule of law, security and stability in the DRC.

The EU is the largest humanitarian donor to the DRC, and in 2009 has allocated €45 million through its humanitarian assistance office (ECHO) to address the needs of vulnerable populations there. Overall, ECHO hopes to provide assistance to 1.5 million people over the course of the year. The UN also plays a major role in addressing humanitarian needs in DRC. Agencies such as UNICEF, UNDP and the WFP have large programmes in DRC and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is playing a vital role in the coordination of the humanitarian response. Funding for these vital humanitarian interventions is provided directly through the agencies as well as via the Pooled Fund operated by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund. For our part, Ireland has allocated more than €4 million in humanitarian funding to the DRC in 2009 via the UN administered Pooled Fund and through our NGO partners. Our total humanitarian support to the country since 2006 amounts to over €26 million.