Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the UN Secretary General on the UN's use of Rwandan troops as peacekeepers.

The Foreign Secretary spoke with the UN Secretary General on 30 January to express his sympathies for the six United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) peacekeepers killed in Goma and discuss the deteriorating situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They agreed to work together on de-escalating this conflict and urging Rwanda and the DRC to return to the negotiating table. The UK condemns M23 and the Rwandan Defence Force's occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern DRC as an unacceptable breach of DRC's sovereignty. We have been clear with Rwanda that this would provoke a strong response from the international community. We are considering all options with partners.