§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance he will provide to restart the investigation and trial of those responsible for the November 2002 massacres of civilians in Ankoro, in northern Katanga Province of the Democratic Re public of the Congo. [135203]
§ Hilary BennWe are providing £700,000 in assistance to the Transition Institutions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which include the President and Vice Presidents, the Parliament, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the Assembly and five Democracy Support Commissions (Elections, Human Rights, Anti-Corruption, Media and Truth and Reconciliation). We are also providing technical support to a European Community-led mission on the justice sector.
These are all part of our effort to help end human rights abuses that have been so prevalent in the DRC for such a long time. We are not providing any specific assistance regarding restarting the investigation and trial of those involved in the November 2002 massacre in Ankoro.
On the humanitarian side, we are providing £420,000 to Action Against Hunger to carry out an Emergency Nutritional Programme in Katanga Province. We are planning to provide funding through the International Rescue Committee for a basic health services programme in five provinces of DRC, including in northern Katanga.