Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Midterm report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published by the United Nations Security Council on 16 December 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings in relation to (a) direct intervention of the Rwandan Defence Force on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, (b) provision of weapons, ammunition and uniforms to M23/ARC, (c) support to several Congolese armed groups by Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo members in Rutshuru territory, (d) cooperation between Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo units and Congolese armed groups in Rutshuru territory, (e) increased hate speech and incitement to violence against Rwandaphone minorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and (f) other findings of this report; and what representations he has made to the government of (i) Rwanda and (ii) the Democratic Republic of the Congo following the publication of that report.

We welcome the United Nations Group of Experts investigation into the situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its reported findings. We fully support the vital work carried out by the UN Group of Experts and stress the need for its continuation. We have raised the findings of the report with the Governments of DRC and Rwanda. Our current focus is on the need for de-escalation, respect for sovereignty, and dialogue through regional processes. We welcome agreement on a ceasefire as agreed at the Luanda Summit in Angola on 23 November 2022. In the week of 9 January, I spoke to both the Rwandan and the DRC Foreign Ministers. I urged both parties to meet the commitments made under Nairobi and Luanda political processes. It is vital that all parties work together to secure real de-escalation on the ground and an enduring political solution. The UK has committed funding support to the East African Community Nairobi political process towards this end.