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Foreign Policy

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 November 2021

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Ceisteanna (87)

Carol Nolan

Ceist:

87. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assessment the Government has made of the recent reports from an independent NGO (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57888/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the Sahel generally, and in Burkina Faso specifically, is of significant concern. Burkina Faso faces internal and external threats, with internal non-state armed actors frequently linked to extremists in neighbouring countries.

The deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso has many complex and interwoven drivers provoking tensions within and between groups. These drivers include: poverty; lack of access to services; weak state structures, including security; cross-border security threats; rapidly increasing populations; climate change; and diminishing access to resources. Increased violence against civilians, including the killings of over 160 civilians in June and 59 civilians in August, is the regrettable outworking of these tensions, which also may have a sectarian dimension.

I condemn all attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso, in the wider Sahel and elsewhere, irrespective of who the perpetrators of such violence are, and their purported motives. There is no justification for acts of violence or discrimination based on religion or beliefs.

Ireland is working with partners in support of the protection of civilians across the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso.

In line with commitments in Ireland’s Africa Strategy to 2025, Ireland has significantly enhanced our engagement in francophone West Africa and the Sahel in recent years. Members of the Permanent Defence Forces are serving as peacekeepers with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in Mali, and the EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM). An Irish civilian expert is also deployed to the European Union Capacity Building Mission in Niger.

Irish Aid has contributed over €3.2 million in bilateral funding since 2014 to civil society working in Burkina Faso, and supports the ongoing work of the International Committee of the Red Cross there. In addition, Irish Aid funds a number of smaller organisations working on youth, peace and security.

Burkina Faso also receives United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (UN CERF) funding, this year totaling over $11 million. Ireland is the eighth largest donor the UN CERF since the Fund's inception.

As a EU Member State, Ireland also contributes to peace and security in Burkina Faso. The EU's Emergency Trust Fund for Africa has allocated €184.5 million to Burkina Faso, to help that country address the root causes of instability.

As a member of the UN Security Council, Ireland is engaging with the African Union and other regional organisations on a range of issues of interest to the continent, including the Sahel. I note in particular, our close partnership with Niger as co-penholders on the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS). As co-penholder, our key priority is to support and facilitate UNOWAS in its work on conflict prevention and peacebuilding, as well as promoting democracy and respect for human rights in the region. In its most recent Presidential Statement on this matter, on 17 August 2021, the UN Security Council strongly condemned continued attacks against civilians in the region, and expressed the need for accountability for human rights violations and abuses.

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