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Democratic Republic of Congo

I congratulate the hon. Member for Falkirk (Mr. Joyce) on securing this timely debate. No nation is more worthy of a debate in this House than the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The debate could not be more timely, given that we are approaching the first democratic elections there for 46 years. I do not think that there is any disagreement that the DRC has been dealt an appalling historical hand. The recent history of that part of Africa is among the most desperate of any region. The various conflicts that have so tragically gripped that huge nation for the past 10 years are without precedent or peer. Some 4 million people—more than the entire population of Wales—have perished during the various conflicts. More people have been killed in the conflicts in the DRC than in any other conflict since the second world war. Given carnage on that scale, one would think that the headlines would be screaming about what is happening in the DRC, yet the conflict goes relatively unnoticed and unreported, and still it continues. We have heard some harrowing details from members of the all-party group that visited the DRC recently. Children have been betrayed of their childhood by being forced to serve in the various militias. It is estimated that 300,000 children have served at one time in some of the competing militias, and children as young as seven have been forced to carry arms. We have learned that in parts of the east of the country children comprise as much as 40 per cent. of the militias. There is no point in going over the political history of the DRC. That depressing and sad tale is familiar to everyone in this Chamber: the brutal, extractive colonial regime, and the bizarre and disastrous Mobutu years, which were followed by the DRC being plunged into a de facto civil war. What is particularly reprehensible is the behaviour of some of the DRC's near neighbours, which for years have taken advantage of the perilous conditions in that country and intervened for purely selfish reasons. The DRC has not even started to sort out its many difficulties and challenges, but the elections are the best chance that the country has to secure a reputable future and the stakes could not be higher. If it has successful elections, it could have a bright and rosy future. The DRC is the third largest county in Africa and the fourth most populous. It is endowed with fantastic natural resources and should be able to sustain not only itself but the whole central African region. It seems that, perversely, the DRC has suffered most grievously for being in possession of natural resources and wealth, as all manner of people, from colonial rulers to voracious neighbours and corrupt rulers, have sought to acquire some of its wealth for themselves. It is as if the DRC won some great natural lottery but has never been able to cash in the winning ticket. I visited the DRC last year, but not with the all-party group. I wish I had been able to join colleagues on that trip, as it sounded fascinating. I went with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy to Lubumbashi in Katanga province. Katanga province is at the heart of mining country, which was the engine that drove most of the DRC in the past 30 years. I visited the famous Jacobins mines, which were so famously looted by Mobutu, and saw the first signs of the green shoots of recovery. Foreign investment has started to go into Katanga, which means that some of the dilapidated mines are starting to roll back into production. I hope to see further progress when I visit again this summer. I found people who were looking forward to a new democratic era with a great deal of excitement, but others who have been thoroughly disappointed in the political process over the past few decades. They have been let down by successive politicians and therefore feel great anxiety and apprehension about the next few months and years, but the Congolese have so much to gain from a new democratic republic. The DRC is at a crossroads: if the process is successful, it will have an opportunity to catalyse the whole of the greater region of central Africa, if not of the whole of the continent. Politically, a new DRC with a normal political life could assist the progress of democracy throughout central Africa. Economically, the reconstruction of a country that is bigger than western Europe and endowed with incredible natural resources and mineral wealth could serve as an indispensable engine to drive the whole of the central African region, if not the whole continent. Culturally, a dynamic and vibrant DRC, with its fantastic music and incredible and unique history and culture, situated as it is right at the heart of Africa—between north and south, east and west—could act as a catalyst for all of African culture, including arts, science and technology, and in all its diversity could communicate that to the rest of the world. That is what is at stake for the DRC. Economically and culturally, it could start a new African renaissance. However, that is dependent on several factors. Probably the two most important are a fair and free election that is seen as such, and an end to the fighting and interventions from near neighbours. There is no doubt that the elections will be an immensely complex task for the new Independent Electoral Commission. The registration process alone has been tortuous, and the election timetable has rightly been delayed because of logistical and communication difficulties in assuring that everybody in that huge nation has been registered. As we heard from other speakers, the country has seen the usual political posturing before the election by some political protagonists. It is disappointing that some of the main contenders for the election have chosen not to register as presidential candidates and that there are fewer candidates registered for election to the legislature than there are seats in it. The latter may be the result of communications difficulties in that huge country, but, more seriously, it may show that some individuals and political parties are dangerously suspicious of the electoral process and of each other. I ask the Minister what he is doing further to engender confidence among the political parties and protagonists so that they can feel confident about participating in the election. The international community has been positively engaged in ensuring that the elections are conducted fairly and freely. As we have heard, the United Nations has its biggest deployment of resources in the DRC and has been instrumental in trying to persuade rival militias to lay down their arms and be repatriated to their home nations. Over the Easter recess, I was in New York and popped in to see some officials in the United Nations. The most obvious sign of its work in the Congo are the blue beret soldiers, but a swathe of activity in respect of relief, development issues and local economic regeneration goes on underneath the surface. I welcome the EU's decision to send the German-led European Union force to assist MONUC during the election. Will the Minister say something about British participation in that force and whether the UK Government will do everything possible to ensure that the mission is a success? I also welcome the new package from the Department for International Development. The UK may now be the biggest bilateral donor to the DRC. That is to be welcomed on both sides of the House, and I hope that the Government will be encouraged to do much more. Perhaps the Minister can tell us whether aid is getting through to the hardest pressed parts of the country and what the UK Government are doing to support the many NGOs that are active in that huge nation. During my visit to the DRC, particularly in Katanga and Lubumbashi, I noticed the almost total lack of civil society. Will the Minister say what we are doing to help to build capacity within civil society, as that will be crucial in the post-election period?