Humanitarian Aid
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-02
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Neale Richmond (FG), Dublin Rathdown

I am very grateful to Deputy Ó Laoghaire for raising this issue. The Government remains deeply concerned by the security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some progress has been made in the peace process facilitated by the United States, Qatar and the African Union, but the situation remains a matter for very serious concern. We join calls on all parties to respect ceasefire agreements and engage in a process to attain a sustainable peace. All sides must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure unhindered humanitarian access. These are critical factors in enabling an effective response to the Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the context of the Ebola outbreak, to date far in 2026, Ireland has provided €3 million for the WHO general programme of work. A sum of €2 million has been approved for the WHO contingency fund for emergencies, which released €3.3 million to support government responses in Democratic Republic of Congo and, crucially, Uganda. Ireland’s NGO partners have also drawn down contingency funding and accessed items from our humanitarian stockpiles. Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the top recipients of Irish humanitarian funding. Between 2020 and 2025, Ireland contributed over €30 million in humanitarian assistance for Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Minister, Deputy McEntee, discussed the conflict and the Ebola outbreak with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Democratic Republic of Congo, Ms Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, during her visit to Ireland in May
Ireland recognises the importance of the EU’s voice being heard in respect of this grave security and humanitarian situation. We support efforts to agree further EU action to respond to the crisis. EU Humanitarian Commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, visited the region in February for meetings regarding the conflict and in June to discuss the Ebola outbreak. Again, we will closely follow these issues during our Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:14+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-02