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Africa: Armed Conflict

Volume 496: debated on Wednesday 16 September 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the activities of the Lords Resistance Army in (a) Sudan, (b) the Democratic Republic of Congo and (c) the Central African Republic; and if he will make a statement (291403)

On 28 August, the UN reported that an estimated 125,000 people had been displaced by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in the Haut Uele district of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the last three weeks. The LRA has also forced an estimated 8,000 Congolese to flee to neighbouring Southern Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR).

There has also been a recent increase in LRA attacks in Southern Sudan, close to the DRC border, which have displaced thousands of Sudanese, adding to the severe humanitarian situation in the region. Since March 2008, mere have been reports of periodic LRA incursions into the South East of CAR.

UN teams are monitoring the situation and assisting the refugees and internally displaced people. The UN peacekeeping mission in DRC. MONUC, has increased its presence in the DRC region where the LRA is active and is helping the Congolese army with logistics. Regional cooperation on this issue is ongoing.