Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 1991

Vol. 407 No. 1

Written Answers. - Famine in Africa.

Jim O'Keeffe

Ceist:

45 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he will propose action on the part of the EC similar to the Dublin Plan adopted in 1985 to deal with the horrific onset of famine in Africa involving up to 20 million people at risk in Ethiopia, Sudan, Mozambique, Angola, Liberia and Malawi; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Michael D. Higgins

Ceist:

46 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the adequacy or inadequacy of the international response to the present famine in Africa; and if he will outline the Government position in this matter.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

113 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he is taking to help avert a further catastrophic famine in Africa.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Collins)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 45, 46 and 113 together.

The present famine in Africa in which more than 20 million people may be in danger of starvation is at least as serious as that of 1984-85 when similar numbers of people were affected. At that time the European Community significantly increased its emergency aid to the affected regions. This culminated in the Dublin Plan to which Deputy O'Keeffe refers, under which the Community attempted to meet 60 per cent of the food deficit by mobilising 1.2 million tonnes of food for delivery to the peoples of Ethiopia, Sudan and the other countries in need. While this had the support of all parties in the House I pay tribute to the then Taoiseach, Dr. Garret Fitzgerald, as well as to Deputy O'Keeffe who was Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs for their role at the time.

According to the latest estimates from the Commission, the needs of all the countries affected on this occasion are put at 4.5 million tonnes and at the present time there is a shortfall of 1.5 million tonnes. The situation is most serious in the Horn of Africa—Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia — where about 15 million people are at risk. Many other countries, in particular Angola, Mozambique and Liberia, are facing a worsening situation. The most immediate priority is to meet the needs of the next few months when stocks of food aid, especially in Sudan, will become depleted.

While pledges continue to be announced the delivery of aid supplies up to now has not been adequate. It must be said that this has been due to a significant extent to factors outside the control of donors. I would point out that the causes of famine have their roots not just in crop failure due to lack of rains or other natural disasters. Civil war and in some cases lack of co-operation with the international relief effort on the part of governments or rebel movements have gravely inhibited the effectiveness of aid and the ability of donors to reach the populations in need. The port of Massawa in Ethiopia, for example, was closed for a long period by rebel action, necessitating complicated and expensive alternative arrangements for the delivery of aid in Ethiopia. The eventual reopening of this port to emergency relief which was achieved following intense pressure on all sides throughout 1990 has greatly assisted the provision of supplies to the populations affected. In Sudan much valuable time has been lost by the government's refusal to acknowledge the scale of the problem and to co-operate with the international relief effort. I would hope that progress can now be accelerated as there have been recent indications that the authorities there are taking some action to facilitate delivery of aid.

During Ireland's term of office as Presidency of the EC Council of Ministers the Government were active in keeping the question of famine in Africa high on the agenda. We have worked, and will continue to work, to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts in these countries through political negotiations such as those which succeeded in securing the reopening of the port of Massawa in Ethiopia and which appears to be yielding some results in Sudan with the reactivation of Operation Lifeline — the UN international relief effort for Sudan.

Up to last week, two thirds of the needs in Ehtiopia and 50 per cent of the needs in Sudan were covered by pledges, although some of these remained to be confirmed or delivered. Taking all the countries affected, the European Community and its member states are supplying over one million tonnes of food — a very significant proportion of the overall needs, 4.5 million. This compares with about two million tonnes from all other donors.

Ireland has contributed over 1.1 million pounds from the disaster relief fund since the beginning of 1990 in response to the emergency. In addition a further contribution of 250,000 pounds is being provided to the World Food Programme in Sudan. We also contribute to the efforts of other international relief agencies and we will support further action on the part of the Community and its member states as necessary.

At the General Affairs Council meeting last Monday the Commission was asked to bring forward proposals for additional aid. It was intended that this should meet the immediate needs of Sudan and Ethiopia. I am hopeful that it may also constitute a quarter of the remaining needs of all the countries concerned until the next harvest is due.

While there is no room for complacency, I am now more optimistic that this latest initiative by the EC may be followed by corresponding action by others. If the rest of the international community also pledges to meet a significant proportion of the outstanding needs we may yet avert a disaster on the scale that we all fear. There is no doubt that more needs to be done.