Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the United Nations on action to protect the Banyamulenge community of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The UK is concerned about violence against all communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the Banyamulenge. Our six-year £70 million peace and stability programme is helping communities, including the Banyamulenge, secure land access, construct critical infrastructure and access income-generation opportunities. This is in addition to our support to the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, through funding (approximately £50 million in 2019/20) and the provision of three military staff officers. The UK also supports the UN Joint Human Rights Office to monitor and report human rights violations in DRC.

Since 2017, the UK's humanitarian programme has helped over three million people with cash, emergency nutrition, water and healthcare in DRC, including communities in South Kivu such as the Banyamulenge. All UK-funded humanitarian aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of ethnicity. Diplomatically, we continue to urge the UN and the DRC Government to work together to protect civilians from ongoing violence and address the root causes of conflict. During Minister Duddridge's November visit to DRC he discussed the importance of addressing these issues, including during a meeting with President Tshisekedi. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, we are committed to ensuring MONUSCO's mandate is focussed on the protection of civilians and that vulnerable communities remain central to the UN's work in DRC.