Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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109. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which the activities of the Boko Haram and the Al Shabaab continue to be monitored and restricted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27798/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has strongly and consistently condemned the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and by Al Shabaab. We support European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and other international efforts to reduce the influence of these groups and to prevent their attacks, especially against civilians. We continue to monitor their activities and to assist populations affected by their actions.

Since 2021, Ireland has provided over €34 million in humanitarian and development funding for the Lake Chad region, where Boko Haram is active. This includes funding to Concern Worldwide, Goal, and Plan International Ireland, as well as to the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 2023, Ireland’s funding included €1 million for the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund, which provides assistance to communities affected by the conflict in the north east of the country.

As an EU member state, we contribute actively to peace and security efforts in the region. The EU supports the Lake Chad Basin Commission which is implementing a Regional Stabilisation Strategy to address the root causes of the violence. Ireland is also a member of the Sahel Alliance, a forum which enables donors to coordinate support in addressing the challenges in areas of the Lake Chad Basin affected by Boko Haram violence.

We also continue to engage on Somalia, where Al-Shabaab remains active. Bilaterally, Ireland has provided over €58 million in humanitarian and development funding since 2018, primarily through UN partners and Irish non-governmental organisations on the ground. The work we have supported ranges from strengthening health systems, to nutrition security, and demining. Ireland also deploys personnel to EUCAP Somalia, one of the three EU Common Security and Defence Policy Missions active in Somalia, which aims to counter the influence of al-Shabaab.

As Somalia’s main long-term partner, the EU and its member states support Somalia's ambitions to assume full responsibility for its security sector. Somalia has made significant strides in the fight against Al-Shabaab in recent years, but it is clear that the group will remain a threat for the foreseeable future. Through the EU, Ireland is engaging with Somalia on its proposal for the establishment of a ‘bridging’ international security mission, following the scheduled drawdown of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) at the end of 2024.