Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 19 Mar 1997

Vol. 476 No. 5

Written Answers - Conflict in Zaire.

Seán Power

Ceist:

20 Mr. Power asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will inform Dáil Éireann of the Government's and the EU's reaction to reports that up to half a million refugees are still trapped in eastern Zaire by fighting, and that up to 50,000 Hutus in Burundi have been herded into regroupment camps with no food, health or sanitary facilities and limited access to water; whether in view of these reports he, the Government and the EU remain of the opinion that the immediate crisis in the Great Lakes region has ended. [7457/97]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

As stated in my written replies to Questions Nos. 82 and 39 of 25 February and 11 March respectively, the Government and our EU partners continue to be gravely concerned about the spreading military conflict in eastern Zaire. We have been actively engaged in discussions with our EU partners, most recently at meetings of Development Ministers on 28 February and of Foreign Ministers last weekend with a view to concerting international efforts to bring the conflict to an end and to providing effective relief to the refugees and victims of the conflict. The Dutch Development Minister, Jan Pronk, visited the region in early March and has had very useful discussions with a range of regional leaders. The Minister of State, Deputy Burton, who accompanied the President to Rwanda on 1 and 2 March, had intensive discussions with Rwandan leaders. She was given assurances that Rwandan refugees remaining in Zaire who wished to return would be welcomed back to Rwanda and allowed to settle there, as has happened with those who returned in November and December.

Refugees and Zaireans displaced by the conflict who have been moving westwards into Zaire since November 1996 to escape fighting in the east Kivu region have been consistently provided with emergency relief supplies by United Nations agencies and the World Food Programme since mid-December 1996. Since the deterioration of security around the towns of Tingi-Tingi, Shabundu and Kisangani, the refugees have again been obliged to leave the camps in which they were receiving emergency relief suppplies. The Deputy will appreciate that the security situation in eastern Zaire and the constant movement of refugees has made it extremely difficult for the international aid agencies to continue to supply all refugees in Zaire with humanitarian relief. Despite these difficulties, the international aid agencies that are involved in the current relief effort are making every effort to track refugee movements and to ensure that emergency relief supplies continue to be channelled to the most vulnerable. I understand that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is providing humanitarian relief to over 150,000 refugees who were formerly in Tingi-Tingi camp and have now fled to Ubundu to escape fighting. Smaller groups of refugees have also now been identified in Tingi-Tingi and in Kingulube and are being assisted by UNHCR and the World Food Programme.

The Government remains committed to playing its role in the humanitarian relief effort for the Great Lakes region. Support has consistently been provided to the international relief effort, most recently through the £2.25 million pounds which was allocated to the Great Lakes region at the beginning of November 1996. We are presently preparing to make a further contribution to international emergency relief efforts and for rehabilitation work in the affected areas.

The Government remains of the opinion that a political solution to the conflict in eastern Zaire is of paramount importance in ensuring that the humanitarian needs of the refugees and displaced population can be effectively met. In this regard, the Government fully supports and remains in close touch with the efforts of Ambassador Mohammed Sahnoun, Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity in the Great Lakes region and of EU Special Envoy Ajello in seeking to find a lasting solution to the problems of the region. Ambassador Sahnoun is engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts throughout the region and has drawn up a five-point peace plan which was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council in Resolution 1097 of 18 February. I have given a full account of his plan in my reply of 11 March. The Deputy will be heartened by the fact that the peace plan was publicly accepted by the Government of Zaire on 5 March and that recent contacts with the rebel leader Mr. Kabila indicate that his side are also prepared to accept Ambassador Sahnoun's plan.

The Government is extremely concerned about the regroupment policies of the Government of Burundi and is continuing to monitor the situation closely. Mr. Pronk, who visited Bujumbura on 6 and 7 March, emphasised the concerns of the European Union partners that the policy of regrouping the rural population into camps should be a strictly temporary measure and that the camps should be as open as possible ensuring access to supplies and freedom to interact with the surrounding communities. The Government has provided a total of £770,919 to Burundi in emergency humanitarian assistance since 1994. This money has been channelled through international aid agencies, Irish NGOs, in particular Trócaire and Christian Aid, and Burundian NGOs. The Government and the EU are fully aware that the humanitarian and political situation in the Great Lakes region of central Africa remains critical. The Government remains committed to both humanitarian and political efforts to stabilise the situation in the region and to allow the process of economic, political and social reconstruction and development to commence.