Source: Foreign Office Commonwealth. November 22nd, 2012.
Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for International Development: “We judge the overall body of evidence of Rwandan involvement with M23 militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be credible and compelling.”
Following the publication of the UN Group of Experts report on the DRC yesterday, Foreign Secretary William Hague, and Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening said:
“The Security Council discussed on 21 November the new UN Group of Experts report, which presented evidence of the Government of Rwanda and individuals within Uganda supporting the rebel group M23. All such support is unacceptable, damaging to the security of the region, and in direct contravention of UN Security Council 2076, which demands that any and all outside support to the M23 cease immediately.
“We judge the overall body of evidence of Rwandan involvement with M23 in the DRC to be credible and compelling. We will be studying the implications of this report in full, but these allegations will necessarily be a key factor in future aid decisions to the Government of Rwanda.
“We note that alleged Ugandan involvement is assessed to be of a lower intensity and less systemic than Rwanda’s. We call on both countries to respond in full to the report’s findings, and to engage openly and constructively with the UN process.
“The UK is greatly concerned about the escalating situation in eastern DRC and the plight of its civilian population. We repeat our calls for the immediate withdrawal of the M23 from Goma, the restoration of State authority of the Government of the DRC in Goma and in North-Kivu, and the end to attacks on the civilian population.
“We welcome the efforts of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) chaired by the Government of Uganda in bringing together regional countries in an attempt to find a way forward. We welcome the meeting yesterday of the ICGLR Foreign Ministers and urge them to continue to take every opportunity to find a swift and sustainable solution. Mr Simmonds, FCO Minister for Africa, arrived in the region yesterday to ensure the UK is doing everything it can to support a solution.”