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Democratic Republic of Congo

: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk (Mr. Joyce) on securing today's debate. I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss such an important topic, and I acknowledge the excellent contributions to the debate. I have only a limited amount of time, but I should like to welcome the all-party group's commitment to the great lakes region, its recent visit and the information that its members have shared today. I thank our former colleague Oona King for her work and acknowledge the thanks of hon. Members who participated in the recent visit for the work of our ambassador and staff in the DRC and Rwanda, including DFID staff. The Democratic Republic of Congo has reached a critical moment. Success or failure over the next few weeks and months will have a wide-reaching impact. The 60 million people of the DRC have suffered enough. They want to see an end to the years of autocratic rule, conflict and destruction. We have heard figures this afternoon, and I confirm that the Government fully appreciate the scale of the problems in the DRC. About 80 per cent. of the population live in abject poverty on less than $1 a day. The latest UN figures put the number of internally displaced people at 1.5 million—the result of continuing violence, mainly in the east. There is a long way to go before we can give the Congolese population the stable, secure and prosperous future that they deserve. What needs to be done? Free and fair elections will form the first step towards democratic and accountable government. Secondly, the new Government must be representative of the full range of Congolese interest groups and accountable to the people who elected them. All the key players should have a stake in the peace. Next, the new government will need to build a greater respect for human rights and the rule of law. Everyone here today will be aware of the terrible abuses that are occurring on a massive scale in the DRC. Many of those take place in the east, at the hands of armed groups, and frequently—something that the Government find particularly disturbing—of the Congolese army itself. As the elections draw nearer, the Government in the DRC are increasingly clamping down on freedom of expression. At the same time, we are seeing an unchecked rise in the volume of hate speech against certain ethnic groups. The new Government need to tackle all those abuses. As has been strongly demonstrated, the DRC badly needs a reliable, neutral, well trained and properly paid army. We are seeing the beginnings of a new army, but most soldiers are still unpaid, unfed, poorly equipped, and have not yet received effective long-term training. We obviously need to see an end to the high levels of corruption and the mismanagement of natural resources. Most of all, we need to sustain the huge amount of support and commitment from the international community that has been given in recent years, and we need to ensure that that continues after the elections. Let me say in response to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) that we also need to ensure that the aid budget is spent effectively and that it benefits the people. The UK is working to support the DRC in developing a stable and prosperous future. Several speakers mentioned the hospital in Panzi, and I am pleased that through the Department of International Development a further £440,000 will be provided over two years to help with infrastructure and the training of doctors. A number of hon. Members raised the issue of children accused of witchcraft. We agree that it is a disturbing phenomenon with real human rights implications. Last year, as part of the UK presidency, we led an initiative to raise awareness of the problem of so-called child witches in the DRC, and we will continue to work with civil society groups, established Churches and the Congolese Government to push for further action to address the problem. Through DFID and the British embassy, the UK contributes to programmes under UNICEF, Save the Children and other NGOs that aim to protect children. While on the subject of children, I commend the idea of a link-up project between schools in the DRC and in the UK, which was mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk A key issue raised by hon. Members was the army. Primary responsibility rests with the DRC to provide a secure environment. Creating a new army after years of conflict is a huge task, and the FARDC consists of seven integrated brigades of troops from all factions. The UK offered £3 million for basic life-needs support—things such as tents and water—to the newly integrated brigades and their families. That will help them to make ends meet and to stop them preying on the local population, but the assistance is offered on the condition that the Government ensure that the troops are paid.