Rwanda: Armed Conflict

Mr. Joyce
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK has made to the government of Rwanda in relation to the conflict between Congolese armed forces and troops of the dissident general Laurent Nkunda.

Meg Munn
We have consistently urged the Rwandan government to make clear their disassociation from Laurent Nkunda and to tone down any rhetoric in support of him, in the interest of stabilising the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, when meeting President Kagame in October 2007, noted that Rwanda must continue to play a constructive role in creating lasting peace and security in the Great Lakes region. This message has been reinforced at official level many times over the last few months.