Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Rwanda’s current military involvement in the fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and what discussions they have had with the government of the United States of America about their reported concerns over the presence of Rwandan forces in the DRC.

The security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is concerning. We welcome regional efforts to deliver a peaceful solution. 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 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 Governments of Rwanda and DRC through our missions in the region, and in the UK. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and the Minister for Africa most recently raised our concerns about the escalating violence in the region, with the Rwandan Foreign Minister last week. The Minister for Africa will also raise these concerns with the Government of DRC over the coming days. 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 regularly discuss these issues with our international partners, including the Government of the United States. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and engage with all local and regional partners to improve the security situation.