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Written question asked by Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party) on Thursday, 23 June 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 June 2022 (named day). It was answered by Vicky Ford (Conservative) on Tuesday, 28 June 2022 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Central Africa: Armed Conflict

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the East African Community (EAC) on the impact of UK-Rwanda relations on regional security following the signing of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, in the context of the EAC's regional force's announced deployment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to combat M23.

Answer

In recent weeks we have raised our concerns about the increase in violence, hate speech and increased movement of armed groups with the Governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and Rwanda, as well as the leadership of the UN Peacekeeping Mission, MONUSCO. The UK engages frequently and at a senior level with the Partner States of the East African Community (EAC) on regional security issues through our missions, and in the UK. The Prime Minister discussed these issues with Rwandan President Kagame during CHOGM last week and I [Minister Ford] most recently spoke with the Rwandan Foreign Minister on 16 June and the DRC Minister for Planning on 24 June to re-iterate the need for all sides to continue to work together to deliver de-escalation on the ground and an end to hate speech.

The UK is committed to supporting regional efforts to build stability and reduce violence in DRC, and we welcome the recent meeting of regional Heads of State in Nairobi towards this end. We will continue to closely monitor the situation, including developments on the deployment of the EAC's regional force.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
23755
Session
2022-23
Related items
Asylum: Rwanda
Wednesday, 7 September 2022
Written questions
House of Commons
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Armed conflict Security Democratic Republic of the Congo Rwanda
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk