Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the risk of atrocities against religious communities in Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what steps he is taking to support efforts by (a) the Government of Democratic Republic of Congo, (b) MONUSCO, and (c) regional partner states of Democratic Republic of Congo to increase security in Ituri province and protect communities at risk of atrocity violence.

The UK remains committed to supporting efforts to build stability and reduce violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The protection of civilians in east DRC is of the utmost importance to the UK. The recent violence by armed groups has resulted in human rights abuses and a large spike in humanitarian need. This jeopardises efforts to pursue peace and prosperity and exacerbates the already severe humanitarian situation. In 2022, a Jo Cox Memorial Grant was used to fund research into current atrocity prevention efforts in eastern DRC. This showed how identity-based violence and mass atrocities might be better integrated into local early warning and early response mechanisms. The UK remains committed to working with the DRC Government, the UN Peacekeeping Mission MONUSCO and regional partners to address the drivers of conflict, demobilise armed groups and support dialogue and conflict resolution mechanisms between local communities. The UK continues to be a major funder of MONUSCO and to liaise extensively on their deployments to improve security and ensure the protection of civilians and the safety and security of UN personnel and humanitarian workers.