Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that President Kabila abides by the 31 December 2016 agreement reached in the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that free and fair elections take place in that country before the end of 2017.

We welcome the political deal signed on 31 December. As I said in my statement of 6 January, it is imperative that this deal is implemented as soon as possible so that elections can take place this year. We continue to encourage the Democratic Republic of the Congo government and the opposition to cooperate and consolidate the progress they have already made.

The UK has earmarked £11.4 million to support a transparent electoral process provided that a realistic budget and timetable are released, and all the conditions set out in the Constitution and in UN Security Council Resolution 2277 are met. If necessary we will push for EU sanctions to be imposed on those who obstruct the democratic process and commit human rights violations.