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Democratic Republic of Congo: Politics and Government

Volume 473: debated on Thursday 13 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the possible impact of the International Criminal Court's investigations of (a) Mathieu Ngudjolo, (b) Germain Katanga and (c) Thomas Lubanga on the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. (192977)

The arrests of Mathieu Ngudjolo, Germain Katanga and Thomas Lubanga send a strong message that the international community is determined to hold those guilty of atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to account for their actions. Efforts to prosecute militia leaders who commit the most serious abuses against the civilian population in DRC should continue, both as a matter of justice for their victims and to serve as a deterrent against future acts of violence. There is no evidence that the inquiries into Ngudjolo, Katanga and Lubanga by the International Criminal Court have had any impact on security in DRC.