Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 3 September 2025.
Gavin Williamson
Conservative, Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help bring about peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Gavin Williamson
Conservative, Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Gavin Williamson
Conservative, Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in (a) Rwanda and (b) Uganda on the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Gavin Williamson
Conservative, Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of potential impact of (a) Rwandan forces and (b) its proxies on levels of support for the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We support the Peace Agreement signed in Washington in June and the Declaration of Principles signed in Doha in July. The Minister for Africa discussed next steps with the US Secretary of State on 21 July and the Qatari Minister of State on 25 July. Continued clashes on the ground highlight the need for sustained peace efforts. On 14 July, the Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi, and on 9 July with President Kagame, urging full implementation of the Washington Peace Agreement. The Minister for Africa reinforced this message on 22 July during discussions with the UN Permanent Representatives of Rwanda and DRC. We remain in close contact with regional partners, particularly Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Togo, and support efforts towards peace by the African Union (AU) and East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Minister for Africa discussed the conflict with the Ugandan Prime Minister in July and President in April; the British High Commissioner also spoke with the President in July. Highlighting the potential of regional economic integration, on 5 June, the UK convened DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and investors to discuss the Ruzizi III hydropower project.
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