§ Lord Ironsideasked Her Majesty's Government:
What contribution UK forces have made to the resolution of the humanitarian crisis in the Great Lakes region.
§ The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Lord Henley)British Forces deployed to the region have made an extremely valuable contribution to the action taken by the international community. The Canberra PR9 has flown 24 sorties, playing a pivotal rule in determining the precise location and numbers of refugee groups in eastern Zaire. Our liaison personnel in Rwanda have provided unique information about the situation on the ground, and have assisted in the co-ordination of work in the area.
Substantial numbers of refugees have returned home to Rwanda, and aid agencies now enjoy greater ease of access to eastern Zaire. In the light of the dramatic change in the humanitarian situation, the steering group overseeing the multinational mission to the region has recommended to the UN Secretary-General that the multinational force be withdrawn by 31st December. The focus now must be on efforts to obtain wider access for the aid agencies on the ground and to enable them to assess the scale and nature of humanitarian needs and how these can best be met.
Our forces in the region will accordingly return to the UK this week. Our international partners are making similar plans for withdrawal of their own forces.
The UK will continue to lend full support to the humanitarian mission in the region and to regional efforts to find a lasting political solution. In that context we welcome the outcome of the Nairobi summit of 16th-17th December.