Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party). It was answered on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Question: With time being of the essence, surely it must be right for the European Union to support the United Nations and the African Union with military assistance. Is Oxfam not right to say that European"““inaction has very human consequences… How many more must suffer before Europe will take effective action?””?"

Answer: I do not accept that Europe is taking no action, and I do not just mean on the humanitarian side, where Europe is the largest donor to the DRC. European countries do have troops in the DRC, and we have a small number of officers helping to command the MONUC brigades there. What is important is that the UN takes a grip on this, and that the UN is the right place in which to take this forward. I hope that the hon. Gentleman would also agree that, rather than repeat the mistakes of the 1990s, when neighbours of the DRC got involved in the war instead of preventing it, it is right that a range of African countries should be the first port of call for extra troops.

Secondary information