Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide support to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help combat rebels in that country.

The fragile security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is concerning. The recent increase in violence risks efforts to pursue peace. In recent weeks we have raised our concerns about the increase in violence, protection of civilians and increased movement of armed groups with the governments of DRC, Uganda and Rwanda, as well as the leadership of the UN Peacekeeping Mission, MONUSCO.

The UK is committed to supporting efforts to build stability and reduce violence in DRC. At the recent UN Security Council session on DRC, the UK urged leaders of the region to re-double their efforts to pursue dialogue, de-escalation and the use of effective regional mechanisms to resolve disputes. The UK continues to be a major funder of MONUSCO and to liaise extensively on their deployments to improve security and ensure the protection of civilians and the safety and security of UN personnel and humanitarian workers. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and engage with all governments in the region to improve the security situation.