---

Democratic Republic of Congo

Answer

I visited the east of the country where operation Amani Leo is being carried out when I was in DRC in February. I met people who are living their daily lives amidst the conflict and heard first hand about the dangers they face. When I spoke to MONUC and FARDC commanders who are planning operation Amani Leo I reiterated that human rights abuses will not be tolerated and that conditionality must be applied by MONUC in cases where they are committed. This means that MONUC support will be removed from FARDC battalions that are involved in human rights abuses. I was assured that this message is being delivered to the troops in the field. We remain extremely concerned at the effect this conflict is taking on innocent people. We are monitoring developments and will continue pushing for human rights abuses to be investigated as well as conditionality to be applied. The FDLR continue to kidnap, kill and rape—particularly in South Kivu which is why the military operations to remove them as a source of instability are necessary. With closer MONUC involvement and a more organised FARDC, Amani Leo is better planned than its predecessor, Kimia II. However, people are still being displaced as a result of military operations. Congolese army troops (FARDC) continue to commit human rights violations. I told President Kabila that the issue of impunity must be addressed and perpetrators of human rights abuses held to account when I met him in February. FARDC has made efforts to implement President Kabila’s "zero tolerance" policy, by bringing some offenders to justice. MONUC is demanding that human rights violators are removed from military units that they are supporting. FARDC is being more transparent and is now reporting to MONUC cases of human rights abuse as they occur. We understand FARDC has provided figures to MONUC detailing the number of personnel tried in military courts between February 09 and February 10 for human rights crimes including rape, murder and armed robbery. Reporting from our post in DRC and MONUC sources suggests that the situation has improved over the last year. MONUC also carries out disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration (DDRRR) work with foreign armed groups, principally the FDLR and Lord’s Resistance Army. In 2009 the combination of enhanced DDRRR work and military operations resulted in a threefold increase over 2008 in successful repatriations of FDLR fighters back to Rwanda. The UK continues to fund DDRRR work and I visited one of the UK-funded radio transmitters used for DDRRR communications when I was in DRC seeing how UK money is being put to good use.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

3105; 718 c428-9WA

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Death Armed conflict Rape Refugees Internally displaced people Democratic Republic of the Congo

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk