§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the November 2003 agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to repatriate Rwandan Hutus from the east of Congo. [159842]
§ Hilary BennThe agreement in November 2003 between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was part of a follow-up process to the Pretoria Agreement signed between the two countries on 30 July 2002. That agreement provided for the Government of Rwanda to withdraw all its forces from the DRC. It did this by October 2002 and the withdrawal was verified by MONUC (the UN Mission to the DRC). It also provided for the Government of DRC to cease all support for ex-FAR/Interhamwe and to encourage the voluntary repatriation of Rwandans from DRC, particularly combatants. The Government of DRC issued a declaration stating that the FDLR (Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda) were unwelcome in its territory and arrested two senior genocidaires in 2002. The UK Government fully supports this process as an important means of ending conflict in the region and achieving greater stability.
The UN Security Council has tasked MONUC with the voluntary repatriation of non-Congolese combatants. It has established bases in eastern DRC to effect this. MONUC estimates that, so far, 6,600 Rwandans ex-combatants and their dependants have been repatriated (not all these repatriations have been facilitated directly by MONUC).
§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's position is on the Rwandan Government's use of retraining camps known as solidarity camps for former members of the Forces Armées Rwandaises ahead of their reintegration into Rwandan society. [159848]
§ Hilary BennSince 2002, DFID has supported the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (RDRP) with a grant of £5.5 million. The RDRP's mission statement is 33W
to support successful social and economic reintegration of ex-combatants in their respective communities so as to realize national security, reconciliation, and development. This will be achieved through demobilizing ex-combatants and supporting their social and economic reintegration into communities of their own choice for a fresh start, thereby saving economic resources for investment in social and economic development.DFID judge that the RDRP has been well managed by the Government of Rwanda's Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC).
The DFID office in Rwanda has been engaged in working with the RDRC to ensure successful reintegration of ex-combatants. DFID has been particularly active in working to ensure that the RDRP addresses practical social and economic issues; including the perception and acceptance by communities of ex-combatants, the opportunities for skills training and employment of ex-combatants, access to counselling and medical services, and the particular needs of female and child ex-combatants in the reintegration process.
The re-integration sessions that ex-Force Armeées Rwandaise (ex-FAR) attend last up to two weeks. These sessions are voluntary and are the same as those attended by those demobilised from the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF). The sessions are focused on explaining the benefits available to the ex-FAR and ex-RDF under the RDRP, such as the recognition of service allowance, available medical services and counselling as well as whether they are eligible for extra funds if they are assessed as being particularly vulnerable. They are also given advice on how they can best utilise the allowances they receive, for example in how to establish income generating co-operatives and how to prepare project proposals to access loans and grants.
It should be noted that the majority of ex-FAR soldiers have already settled in communities before they attend the RDRP sessions, sometimes for a number of years. Accordingly, their reintegration needs are often not as acute as other ex-combatants and the two week sessions are felt to be sufficient to help them access and utilise their benefits. When back in their communities, ex-FAR, like other demobilised ex-combatants, are able to use the services of the RDRP's Provincial Programme Officers to follow-up on advice and information on the benefits and services available under the RDRP and through other community-wide programmes of support.