Vol. 470 No. 8
3 Mr. O'Malley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, he and the European Union will take in the Great Lakes region of Africa to protect refugees in view of the serious unrest in Zaire and the danger posed to Rwanda refugees. [20190/96]
The Government and our EU partners continue to be gravely concerned about the disastrous situation in Eastern Zaire which is threatening to destabilise further the Great Lakes region. Over half a million people, including Rwandan refugees and local Zaireans have been forced to leave refugee camps in Bukaw and Uvira in Eastern Zaire. The situation remains very tense and reliable information from the area is difficult to obtain.
As a direct consequence of the conflict, almost all international humanitarian staff have had to be evacuated from most of Eastern Zaire. While this evacuation is clearly regrettable, humanitarian staff had little choice in view of the violence and looting which they had encountered. The evacuation has made it increasingly difficult to gain reliable information on the movements of numerous Rwandan Hutu refugees and displaced Zaireans. UN agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, are unable to gain access to the areas and assess the needs of the refugee population. On the humanitarian front my Department remains in close consultation with the United Nations in Geneva and New York, and is working in co-operation with the Irish aid agencies in the region.
Foreign Ministers of the European Union discussed the situation in detail last Monday at the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg with a view to preventing a further humanitarian catastrophe and possible wider conflict in the region. On that occasion, recalling the European Union's Declarations of 21 and 25 October, we reiterated the Union's concern at the escalation in fighting in the Kivu region and called on all parties to exercise restraint and in particular to have regard to the safety of civilians.
As a first step towards preventing any further escalation in violence and unrest, the Council called for the implementation of an immediate ceasefire and, in the firm conviction that the complex problems at issue can only be resolved through early and substantive dialogue, called on all parties concerned to begin such a process as soon as possible. Taking into account the regional role of the Organisation of African Unity, the Council also appealed to that organisation's member states to make urgent efforts to contribute to the settlement of the conflict. It believes that a particular responsibility in this regard devolves on Zaire and Rwanda, while at the same time welcoming the stated readiness of the authorities of both to pursue and reinforce the process of dialogue between their two countries.
To facilitate this process of dialogue between Zaire and Rwanda, the European Union has mandated its Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, Mr. Aldo Ajello, to travel immediately to the region. Mr. Ajello, who departed for the region last Monday, will be assisted in his efforts by the Troikas of EU Heads of Mission in Kinshasa and Kigali. Mr. Ajello has made himself available to attend a conference of regional leaders to address the situation in Eastern Zaire which it is hoped will take place in Arusha, Tanzania, this weekend.
As Presidency, Ireland has been fully engaged with partners and Special Envoy Ajello in seeking to address the growing crisis in Eastern Zaire. During his previous mission to countries of the Great Lakes region Mr. Ajello had initial discussions about the situation in South Kivu with the Prime Minister of Zaire in Arusha on 12 October and had also been engaged in ongoing consultations with the Government of Rwanda. In carrying out his current mission, which is specifically aimed at promoting a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Eastern Zaire, Mr. Ajello will co-ordinate closely with the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, the Organisation of African Unity, regional leaders and other interested parties. In addition, we have had direct contacts with the Rwandan Government in recent days in which we have reinforced the messages being delivered by Mr. Ajello. The Minister of State, Deputy Burton, met the Foreign Minister of Rwanda yesterday and discussed these issues.
The increasingly volatile situation in Eastern Zaire and the danger of the conflict spreading across national boundaries pose a very real threat to any prospect for long-term peace and stability in the Great Lakes region. As such, it calls for the immediate and substantive engagement of all parties in the search for an agreed political solution. However, in more immediate terms we are already witnessing the appalling and growing human cost of the violence and displacement of the population in South Kivu and beyond. With our EU partners, the Irish Presidency is seeking ways to prevent a further worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in the region and to impact further on its local and refugee populations. Last Monday's Council has, therefore, requested the European Commission to report urgently on the situation and to make proposals for action by the Union to assist actively in the process of getting supplies to those in need. This action will be co-ordinated closely with the national efforts of member states, including Ireland.
As confirmed to the House by Deputy Burton, Minister of State at my Department with responsibility for development co-operation, in the Adjournment statement which she made on South Kivu last Thursday, the Government is examining the current situation very closely from a humanitarian perspective. We have spent almost £10 million since 1994 in the region and we will continue to play our part in alleviating the plight of those affected in the current fighting. Further aid to the region, and specifically to Eastern Zaire, will be considered in the light of developments and any appeals for funding from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and NGOs will be given sympathetic consideration. As Presidency, Ireland has placed the situation in the Great Lakes region on the agenda of this week's meeting of the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). Humanitarian agencies are reallocating resources to Rwanda and are setting up temporary transit stations to help deal with the further displacement of the refugee population.
In addressing the current crisis in Eastern Zaire in these terms, we are strongly reminded of the pressing need to deal effectively with the enormous problems posed by the presence of over one million refugees and displaced persons in the Great Lakes region following the conflict in Rwanda in 1994. This unresolved issue, which affects the entire region, has resulted in initially localised conflict having far-reaching humanitarian and political repercussions. The European Union is, therefore, prepared to work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Governments in question and international donors to bring about an agreed and effective strategy to deal with this pervasive issue. It further believes that such a strategy will be paramount in devising a framework to create a comprehensive, durable settlement of the problems of the region as a whole. The European Union remains strongly of the view that a regional conference on peace, security and stability in the Great Lakes region, under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity, has a central role to play in the establishment of a regional settlement.
Is the Tánaiste aware that within the last 48 hours the conflict in Eastern Zaire has become internationalised in the sense that the Rwandan army has invaded Zaire and is fighting the Zairean army on Zairean territory? In view of that, will he agree that the reluctance of the United Nations to become involved militarily up to now on the grounds, allegedly, that it was a civil war is no longer valid, that this is now an international conflict and that the United Nations should intervene militarily to put a stop to the extensive fighting taking place which, if it is not stopped, is likely to escalate further and to involve other countries? Will he agree it is impossible for NGOs, the UNHCR or anybody else to deliver food or other humanitarian assistance when extensive fighting is taking place, that the first priority must be to stop the fighting and that the United Nations should send in a peacemaking force to come between the two sides? Will the European Union play its part in doing this given that the United States has indicated its reluctance to become involved? Will the European Union provide troops for this purpose because failure to stop this war will mean we are facing the possibility of another million people dying, as a million died in Rwanda in 1994?
There is no doubt we are facing the potential for a human catastrophe in this region. As we speak the situation is unfolding. Rwandan troops have now engaged with Zairean troops and there is a danger of an escalation to all out war between Zaire and Rwanda. When the Minister of State met the Rwandan Foreign Minister yesterday she reiterated the view of the European Union that these issues can only be resolved around the negotiating table. The European Union Special Envoy has been in touch with us this morning from Kinshasa. He will be having talks with the Zairean Government over the next 24 hours having just arrived there from Kigali. He is carrying the same message of the urgent need for dialogue. It is unlikely that the United Nations or the European Union under whatever mandate will be sending troops to this region. We are in contact with the Organisation of African Unity. There may well be a question of funding from the United Nations, the European Union and the United States but the strong view is that what is required is an all-African force funded by the European Union, the United Nations and the United States in particular. If it were possible to put that together I am sure we would have no difficulty in getting support for it. In all honesty, however, I do not see European member states offering troops for a mission to the area.
Will the Tánaiste agree that if there is a failure to put in a strong, effective military force to stop this war in its early stages it will escalate and that having talks, for example, with the Zairean Government in Kinshasa is not much use when Zaire is in the process of breaking up? The President is in Europe suffering apparently from a serious illness and Zaire is facing a post-Tito situation akin to what happened to the former Yugoslavia and is likely to disintegrate in the weeks and months to come. Is it not a fact that the potential for enormous numbers of deaths there is far greater than it is in other parts of the world where the United Nations and the European Union are prepared to go to great lengths to prevent or avoid conflict? In this instance a million people or more could die, as a million have died already. Is there not an obligation, therefore, to use military force since there is no alternative in this conflict and since humanitarian acts, no matter how well intended, cannot be put into operation?
We all accept there is potential for catastrophe. In our discussions in Luxembourg on Monday night with Commissioner Bonino, who described the situation to us, we were given the best information available and I have described that in my reply to the Deputy's question. In the past number of days half a million people have been displaced but the first difficulty is getting information and access to the region where these people are now located. We are trying to organise a meeting for next Tuesday — I cannot guarantee it will take place — of all the Heads of State in the region. We hope the Special Envoy from the European Union, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity will be in attendance. We need to put together an international response and it behoves all of us to do everything that is necessary in that regard. As is the case in most of these crises around the world, the European Union undoubtedly will be the major donor but the European countries which have been involved in this region in the past are not willing to consider sending a military operation to the region.
Does the Minister agree, from a European point of view, that the principal responsibility lies with the Belgian and French Governments, which did extremely well out of this region in the past and now have certain responsibilities, and it is not enough to say we will provide money if we are not prepared to provide troops to stop what is happening and what will undoubtedly get much worse? Why are the United Nations and EU member states prepared to provide troops elsewhere in situations which are not comparable to this in seriousness and not here?
There is enough food left in some of these areas for seven days. Once that food is consumed, there is no way of supplying more. Apart from those being killed in the fighting, up to one million people could die from starvation within the next few weeks. Calling meetings and expressing concerns is of no value in this kind of situation. It requires immediate military intervention and nothing else is adequate.
I am afraid I must disagree with the Deputy's suggestions. What is most important is that we prepare the international response and that can only be done through summoning the regional leaders, in conjunction with the Organisation of African Unity, the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States in particular, and setting out to see if, in the first instance, we can get access for humanitarian aid. We are looking for a humanitarian corridor and zones to get access to people to whom we do not yet have access. The Deputy should be aware of that, it was in the report we were given on Monday evening. However, we are getting what I would call a favourable response from the region in relation to creating humanitarian corridors. Before one can send in people we must be able to guarantee their safety.
The Deputy, who has been around this House for many years, may well understand that the idea of sending French and Belgian troops into this region might not be totally accepted by the region for many historical reasons.
