Written question asked by David Drew (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 March 2006. It was answered by Ian Pearson (Labour) on Monday, 20 March 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on the security situation in Democratic Republic of Congo of militia activity associated with the cross-border conflict with Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The security situation remains fragile in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly in Ituri and the Kivus. The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC has carried out joint operations with Congolese military to disrupt the activities of foreign armed groups, including Rwandan Hutu militias. But these groups continue to persecute civilians. There are no recent indications of cross-border conflict with Rwanda or any of the DRC's neighbours.We continue to urge regional governments to work together to resolve the issue of the foreign armed groups and to respect all states' territorial integrity. The recent UN Security Council Resolution 1653 reinforced this message. And the US-facilitated Tripartite Plus mechanism provides a forum for disputes to be resolved diplomatically.

Secondary information