§ Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what funding his Department has given to Burundi in(a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003; [145152]
(2) what assistance has been given in the last five years for the reconstruction of Burundi, including (a) assisting returning displaced people and disaster victims and (b) disarmament, demobilisation, retraining and rehabilitation of fighters. [145156]
§ Mr. MullinOver the last five years the UK has put over £5 million into bilateral aid to Burundi, mostly in humanitarian and health interventions, including for displaced persons, and peace-building activities. In addition we have put 2 million US dollars into a Trust Fund for debt alleviation. The UK has also contributed 25 million US dollars to another Trust Fund for a regional programme of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration in the region, of which Burundi will be a beneficiary.
We also disbursed £25,000 in 2002–03 to support mediation efforts in Burundi and have so far spent £134,326 in this financial year on governance issues. We have also provided support to the African Union peacekeeping force (AU African Mission in Burundi) with a contribution of £3.7 million to the Mozambican Government to help equip their 217-strong contingent. Following a request from the AU Chairman (Konare) to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, we have agreed to support AMIB further through a contribution of £2 million to the AU administered Trust Fund.
80WWe have also funded a number of small project Burundi using FCO/DFID funds, for example:
£ Project Cost Small grant scheme (SGS) 2001–02 47,921 2002–03 47,256 2003–04 175,000 FCO departmental programme budget 2002–03 6,000 FCO human rights project fund 2002–03 59,996 1Estimate of likely spend.
§ Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the leader of Burundi on preventing the supplying, training and arming of rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [145154]
§ Mr. MullinWe strongly support the arms embargo introduced in UN Security Council Resolution 1493 of 28 July 2003 which calls on all states, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to take measures to prevent such support. We are supporting proposals for an arms monitoring mechanism in the DRC.
We have a regular dialogue with the Government of Burundi and continue to encourage the Government of Burundi to pursue a negotiated agreement to bring the remaining rebel group (FNL-Rwasa) into the peace process.
§ Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the situation in Burundi. [145155]
§ Mr. MullinRecent developments in Burundi are encouraging but there is a long way to go. The implementation of a cease-fire and inclusion of former rebels into government following agreement in Dar es Salaam in November is good news. The African Mission in Burundi (supported by the UK) is deployed and preparing for the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of rebel forces. The country is preparing for elections and the end of the transition in November 2004. However, many challenges remain. Poverty remains widespread and the economic situation is poor. One rebel group remains outside the peace process. The UK will continue to support efforts to bring peace, security, stability and progress to Burundi.