§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimate of the number of refugees from Rwanda who are now in Tanzania.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydAccording to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, some 50,000 Rwandese refugees have remained in Tanzania following flows into that country over many years beginning in the 1950s. Some 20,000 more arrived following the events of early April and an estimated 81W 250,000 crossed the border over a 24-hour period around 28 April. Since then, UNHCR workers report—as of 9 May—that a further 150-200 people have arrived by boat each day. Owing to the number of refugees and their emergency needs, UNHCR has not yet undertaken a comprehensive registration exercise.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being given by the Government and the European Union to assist Tanzania to cope with refugees from Rwanda.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydSince 6 April 1994, Britain has committed £3.35 million bilaterally of humanitarian assistance for Rwandan refugees in the region, of which £1.75 million is for those in Tanzania. Other EU countries and the European Commission have announced nearly £2 million-worth of assistance so far for Rwandan refugees in the region, including Tanzania.
EU Development Ministers discussed the situation in Rwanda on 6 May and have asked political directors to consider, at their meeting today, the possibility of an EU mission to the countries bordering Rwanda to examine the problems caused by the flows of refugees.