Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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434. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he and his Department and the international community continue to monitor the activities of the Al Shabaab and Boko Haram or other similar organisations engaged in various nefarious activities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38708/20]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland strongly condemns all acts of violence and terror perpetrated by Boko Haram and Al Shabaab. Ireland supports the EU, UN and other international efforts to reduce the influence of Boko Haram and Al Shabaab and to prevent their attacks, especially against civilians. Ireland continues to monitor the activities of these groups and to assist populations affected by their actions.

The UN is active in working to undermine the influence and impact of Al Shabaab and Boko Haram. The UN continues to monitor the situation in areas affected by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin, through its Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), as well as at the UN Peacebuilding Commission, in which Ireland actively participates. The UN-mandated African Union-led peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) supports the Federal Government of Somalia in its efforts to combat Al Shabaab.

The EU is one of the main financial contributors to AMISOM and it has also pledged €50 million in funding to the Multinational Joint Taskforce to improve security in West African territories affected by Boko Haram. More broadly, the EU supports the strengthening of government institutions and provides significant development funding in Somalia, and in the countries affected by Boko Haram's terrorist activities, notably through its Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Ireland is a long-term donor to the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and has committed over €15 million to that Fund.

The EU Council Conclusions of June 2020 reaffirm the EU’s commitment to tackling terrorism across Africa, particularly in the Sahel and Horn of Africa. The EU has three Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions in the Horn of Africa. A number of Irish nationals are deployed to EUCAP Somalia, including the current Head of Mission. In the Sahel,Ireland previously had 20 Defence Forces personnel participating in EUTM Mali, with numbers temporarily reduced to 12 due to Covid-19. Ireland also deploys one expert to the EUCAP Sahel Niger. Ireland’s participation in these missions allows us to contribute to international peace and security, protect human rights, and support conditions for sustainable development in the region.

Ireland also works bilaterally to promote peace and security in areas affected by armed groups. Ireland places a strong emphasis on tackling the poverty, hunger and exclusion which can contribute to radicalisation. We are members of the International Support Group of the Regional Stabilisation Strategy for the Lake Chad Basin (ISG), and observer members of the Sahel Alliance. Both groups offer international partners a forum to coordinate support in addressing the challenges in Boko Haram-affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin.

In addition, Ireland works with partners to respond to humanitarian need in regions affected by conflict. Ireland has provided €27 million in humanitarian funding to the Lake Chad region since 2015. Ireland’s Embassy in Abuja also contributes funding for those displaced by conflict in North-East Nigeria through its Humanitarian Fund. Ireland has also been a consistent supporter of the humanitarian response in Somalia, providing over €51 million in humanitarian assistance since 2012, including to communities displaced by conflict in Al Shabaab-held areas. With humanitarian needs in these regions likely to remain acute, Irish funding will continue to target those most in need.

The Embassies of Ireland in Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Abuja will continue to actively monitor the situation on the ground, advise on humanitarian response and guide Ireland’s engagement in EU and UN fora, particularly as we take up our UN Security Council seat in 2021.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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435. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his EU and UN colleagues continue to monitor event sin the horn of Africa with a view to intervening to challenge abuses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38709/20]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Although the Horn of Africa has seen some positive developments in recent years, internal conflict, weak governance and historically strained relations between neighbours persist. Fragile political transitions and peace processes are taking place against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting the entire region politically, economically and socially and adding to the existing burdens of climate change, terrorism and migration, as well as multiple humanitarian challenges, including infectious diseases, locust infestations, drought and floods.

Ireland, together with its UN and EU partners, is strongly committed to the Horn of Africa, through our political, development and humanitarian efforts and we will remain closely engaged in the region in the context of our upcoming tenure on the UN Security Council. Minister Coveney discussed the Horn of Africa with fellow EU Ministers during a high level event in July and stressed that the region must remain a priority on the EU’s agenda.

Ireland supports the efforts of the EU and the UN in taking a multi-pronged approach to the Horn of Africa, including continued support for the important work of the African Union and IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), which play a key role in regional peace and security.

I am deeply concerned by the outbreak of armed conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, including the reported atrocities and ethnic profiling, and the humanitarian consequences. Ireland is actively supporting the efforts of the EU and wider international community to de-escalate the situation, including through engagement with the African Union which has appointed three Special Envoys. Minister Coveney has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and the commencement of a national dialogue to de-escalate tensions. Minister Coveney has also condemned the reported atrocities and identity-based attacks. It is essential to ensure that the human rights of all Ethiopians are upheld. I am gravely concerned by reports that Ethiopia’s federal military has said civilians should protect themselves from heavy artillery, in advance of a planned assault against the regional capital. I urge all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law. Ireland is also a longstanding humanitarian supporter of the wider Horn of Africa region. In the context of the Tigray crisis my Department has reallocated €416,000 for the humanitarian response within Ethiopia and €500,000 to assist refugees in Eastern Sudan.

South Sudan continues to endure an ongoing crisis, in large part the consequence of civil war. While the ceasefire is largely holding between the main opposition parties, following the formation of the unity government last February, I am concerned that sub-national violence and human rights abuses continue to cause immense harm to civilians, with the UN reporting that over 1,000 people have been killed and more than 400 abducted in the last six months. The situation is very fragile with key aspects of the peace deal still to be implemented, including the creation of a unified army, local governance and transitional justice measures. Ireland continues to monitor the situation closely, including via our Embassy in Addis Ababa and via the EU Delegation in Juba.

Just over one year on from the signing of the power sharing agreement between the military and the opposition, Sudan’s fragile transition is proceeding amid significant challenges including COVID-19, difficulties accessing international funding, an economic state of emergency and severe flooding. On 3 November 2020, I was able to speak with the Acting Foreign Minister of Sudan to reiterate Ireland’s continued strong support for the transition and to announce additional support for Sudan’s response to floods. In an historic step, on 3 October the Government of Sudan signed a peace agreement with key armed groups, which the EU witnessed. In June 2020, then Minister of State Ciarán Cannon represented Ireland at the high level Sudan Partnership Conference hosted by Germany, the EU and Sudan, and announced Ireland’s contribution of $500,000 to the World Bank Trust Fund for Sudan, to provide cash transfers for vulnerable families.

Despite Somalia’s recent progress in peacebuilding and state building, volatility and risks remain high and tensions between the Federal Government and Federal Member States remain a cause for concern. While recent consensus reached on the electoral model for upcoming elections is welcome, it is disappointing that the model is far from the ‘one-person one-vote’ elections that the international community, including the EU, advocated for. The security context in Somalia remains deeply fragile and Al Shabaab is still capable of complex attacks. Al Shabaab has also developed sophisticated revenue-raising capabilities that make it an increasingly competitive actor within Somalia. Ireland is concerned by other developments in Somalia including the ousting of the former Prime Minister in July and recent regressive legislative proposals which will impact efforts to prevent sexual and gender based violence. Ireland has raised these concerns at the most recent session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva and in discussions with the Government of Somalia.

The EU engages actively in the region through political dialogue, its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions (EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, EUCAP Somalia, and EUTM Somalia), and development and humanitarian cooperation. Ireland has been an active contributor to EUCAP in Somalia, to which there are a number of Irish deployees including the current Head of Mission. Ireland, through the EU, also supports the efforts of the African Union led peacekeeping mission, AMISOM, to stabilise Somalia.

Through regional and bilateral programmes and the Trust Fund for Africa, the EU is providing over €3 billion to the Horn of Africa (2014-2020) which focuses on supporting economic opportunities for young people. Ireland has pledged over €15 million to the Trust Fund for Africa.

Ireland also supports the office of the EU Special Representative to the Horn of Africa, Alex Rondos, whose mandate is to contribute to regional and international efforts to achieve lasting peace, security and development in the region.

Ireland is also a longstanding humanitarian donor to the Horn of Africa, having provided over €222 million in humanitarian assistance to the region since 2012 and we are also a significant contributor to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) which countries in the Horn benefit from. With humanitarian needs likely to remain acute throughout 2021, Ireland remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance where it is needed most in the Horn of Africa.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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436. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community continues to encourage a peace process in the Arab-Israeli disputed territories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38710/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have given a high priority to the Middle East Peace Process since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2017, and I continue to do so in the current Government. I have made four working visits to the region, most recently in December 2019.

This priority is set out in the Programme for Government, which states that the Government will “Maintain and build our relationships with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority and remain active on the Middle East Peace Process. Ireland’s longstanding support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will remain an integral aspect of our foreign policy and we will continue to build consensus at EU level to take a more proactive approach in supporting a negotiated two-state solution and lasting peace process”.

Ireland remains ready to support any peace initiative that respects the international parameters for a two-state solution and relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and provides a basis to meet the aspirations of both peoples.

The Middle East Peace Process is regularly discussed in meetings of EU Foreign Ministers. On 19 November, I participated in a discussion with the Palestinian Foreign Minister along with EU Foreign Ministers. This was an important opportunity to discuss our shared concern regarding recent settlement expansion plans and demolitions of Palestinian property, discuss the road ahead towards the holding of Palestinian elections and how negotiations to bring about a peaceful settlement based on a two-state solution can be resumed. On 27 August, I participated in a discussion with the Israeli Foreign Minister during an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers. The EU’s firm commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict was conveyed to Foreign Minister Ashkenazi, in addition to the EU’s welcoming of Israel’s suspension of annexation plans.

Ireland will continue to work with international partners on this issue including, as we prepare to take up our seat on the UN Security Council in January 2021.