§ Mr. Ivan HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the situation in(a) Rwanda and (b) the Great Lakes region. [80888]
§ Mr. Rammella) Since the genocide and civil war in 1994, the Rwandan Government and people have been rebuilding their country and lives. The Government has embarked on a programme of recovery through national reconciliation and poverty reduction. It has made significant progress but continues to face many challenges, including the delivery of a tradition-based judicial process (gacaca), the demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants, and democratisation.
b) The situation in the Great Lakes is dominated by the conflicts in DRC and Burundi. In the DRC the 30 July Pretoria Agreement was a welcome development, resulting in the withdrawal of all Rwandan forces by 5 October. The Government of DRC must now honour its Pretoria commitments to deal with the anti-Rwandan militia operating in DRC, and reach agreement with the rebel groups (MLC and RCD-Goma) on a transitional Government. talks resumed on 15 November. It is hoped this will end the conflict conclusively and result in the withdrawal of the remaining Zimbabwean and Uganda forces soon.
In Burundi recent talks produced a ceasefire between the Government of Burundi and some, but not all, of the rebels. We are giving our full support to South African and Tanzanian mediation efforts, which are seeking a comprehensive agreement. Uganda's President Museveni is convening a regional summit soon.