Lord A veburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they will take, bilaterally and with the EU, to persuade the Democratic Republic of the Congo to rescind the ban on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' operations in North and South Kivu; and how many refugees from DRC still remain to be repatriated from Tanzania.
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanOn 9 September 1997, Mrs. Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, suspended UNHCR activities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on the grounds that DRC actions had made it impossible to carry out their protection mandate. On 5 October the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo issued an order expelling UNHCR from North and South Kivu. Implementation of the expulsion order in South Kivu is uncertain, and UNHCR are seeking written clarification of the situation. We have given full support bilaterally, through the EU and in the UN, to UNHCR efforts to fulfil their mandate in the DRC. At this stage, however, UNHCR regard the negotiation of their re-entry to the country as their own responsibility. A new draft Memorandum of Understanding has been prepared, which UNHCR are currently discussing with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
UNHCR estimate that the original number of DRC refugees in Tanzania was 74,000. Of these, 35,000 had registered for repatriation and 7,000 had been repatriated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo before the suspension of UNHCR operations.