Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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775. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the attempted coup in Burundi. [20090/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I am seriously concerned at the political situation and the violence in Burundi. Over the past two weeks, there has been a wave of killings, militias have acted with impunity, and the country has experienced arbitrary arrests, intimidation, forced closures of media outlets and the targeting of human rights defenders. I have condemned the coup attempt by senior military figures on 13 and 14 May, which added to the rising toll of death and injury and increased the numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons.

Burundi has experienced recurring violence over the years since its independence in 1962. The recent street protests arose in response to a decision by the ruling party to name President Pierre Nkurunziza as its candidate for a third presidential term in elections scheduled for June. Widespread complaints that this breaches established term-limits were considered by the Constitutional Court of Burundi, which pronounced on 5 May that the candidacy is constitutional.

We discussed the situation in Burundi at the EU Foreign Affairs Council which I attended in Brussels on 18 May. The Council condemned the attempted coup, highlighted the need for restraint, re-stated the importance of inclusive and transparent political dialogue and expressed support for the mediation efforts of the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative, the African Union and the East African Community. The Council also stressed the importance of a credible, transparent and non-violent election process in the country and noted that, as conditions conducive to the holding of elections are not in place at the moment, they should be postponed within constitutional limitations.

I am also following the situation in Burundi through our Ambassador in Dar-es-Salaam, who is also accredited to Burundi. I am particularly concerned about the plight of Burundian refugees, with as many as 47,000 now in Tanzania. Our Embassy in Dar-es-Salaam is closely monitoring refugee movements and engaging with and supporting the local efforts of the UN High Commission for Refugees. In 2014, Ireland provided approximately €1 million to NGO partners, Concern Worldwide and Civicus, for their work in Burundi.