Written question asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative) on Tuesday, 5 December 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 December 2006. It was answered by Ian McCartney (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 December 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 she has made of the likely effect on regional stability of the emigration of people from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to Uganda; what assessment she has made of the likely impact on the United Nations peacekeeping mission of the conflict between the Congolese army and forces loyal to General Nkunda; and what representations she plans to make to the UN on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Answer: According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Uganda, on 5 December, 12,000 Congolese came across the border into Uganda to escape fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). By 7 December 6,000 of them had already returned. As for previous, similar, incidents, we expect further returns to DRC as soon as the situation stabilises. UNHCR has sent teams to the area to monitor the situation. We will remain in close contact with them.UN peacekeeping troops (MONUC) have taken robust action against those forces loyal to General Nkunda who have been launching attacks in eastern DRC. Last week MONUC re-took the town of Sake after it was briefly overrun by Nkunda’s troops. Our embassy in Kinshasa is in regular contact with MONUC. Officials in the UK’s Mission to the United Nations in New York have regular discussions with the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations and within the UN Security Council itself on all aspects of the peacekeeping operation in the DRC.

Secondary information