§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what gaps there are in the food pipeline to Rwanda; and how is it proposed to close them.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydDespite major logistical problems, the World Food Programme is maintaining basic food supplies to all the refugee camps bordering Rwanda, and is also moving supplies into both north and south Rwanda. We are providing £1.25 million of emergency food aid. In addition, we have given two mobile grinding mills to WFP for the production of maize flour, at a cost of £290,000.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about cholera outbreaks in Burundi and the extent to which these are connected with refugees from Rwanda; and how the international community is responding to them.
390W
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydSome 60 cases of cholera have been reported in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, with no evident link to refugees from Rwanda. United Nations agencies are presently monitoring the situation.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the role of the World Health Organisation in a crisis such as the situation in Rwanda; and what assessment he has made of how the organisation is fulfilling that role in Rwanda.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe World Health Organisation has responded quickly to the situation in Rwanda. It is a member of the United Nations humanitarian advance team in Nairobi and has also participated in the United Nations flash appeal. It has dispatched seven emergency health kits—each provides medical supplies for 70,000 beneficiaries for three months—for Rwanda refugees in surrounding countries. It is establishing four stations to monitor cross-border assistance into Rwanda. It is too early to assess how well the WHO is fulfilling its role as the leading health agency in this emergency situation.
§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the findings of the recent Overseas Development Administration mission to Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe Overseas Development Administration mission visited the Kagera region of north-western Tanzania, the Kabale district in southern Uganda, and the Byumba prefecture in northern Rwanda on 21 to 26 May 1994.
The mission found that the British emergency aid already provided has been used effectively and was much appreciated, and that the relief efforts of the UN agencies, particularly UNHCR in northern Tanzania, the non-governmental organisations and the Red Cross movement were impressive and well co-ordinated. The political situation remains volatile and the refugee exodus is continuing. External emergency aid will be required for the foreseeable future.
The main conclusions of the mission are that our future strategy should focus on:
- improving the strategic planning and management of the overall humanitarian aid operation
- expanding the operational capacity of non-governmental organisation implementing agencies to reach refugees/displaced in greatest need
- responding to the governments of Tanzania and Uganda concerns regarding the environmental impacts of the crisis.
As a result of these findings, my noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development announced on 2 June that Britain is allocating a further £5 million of emergency aid to support displaced and refugees in Rwanda and neighbouring countries. This brings the amount of emergency aid provided bilaterally since April 1994 to over £11 million.