UK unblocks Rwandan aid frozen over Congo rebel row

Andrew Mitchell could not leave DFID without taking this unfortunate decision.  He was not qualified to lead the Department for International Development. He is a staunch supporter of the war criminal and Dictator Paul Kagame of Rwanda. Andrew Mitchell displays Kagame's pictures on his desk and on the  inside walls  of his  DFID's office.  Probably Andrew Mitchell  could be gay and not know it.

 

UK unblocks Rwandan aid frozen over Congo rebel row

Tue, 4 Sep 2012 19:20 GMT

Source: reuters // Reuters

* UK says Rwanda has engaged constructively on peace moves

* Congo criticises British move

By Jonny Hogg

KINSHASA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday it would unblock about half its $25 million aid to Rwanda after the central African state made constructive efforts to solve a conflict in Congo.

Officials in Congo and rights groups criticised the move, saying Rwanda had fuelled the bloodshed in its much larger neighbour.

Britain and other donors, including the United States, Sweden and the Netherlands, suspended support to Rwanda - which relies on foreign aid for half its budget - after a United Nations report in June accused officials in Kigali of backing rebels fighting in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo.

A spokesman for Congo's government said Britain's decision was "disastrous". Kigali has repeatedly denied allegations that it backs rebels in Congo and accused the authors of the U.N. report of bias.

Andrew Mitchell, Britain's outgoing international development minister, praised Rwanda for "constructively" engaging in efforts to resolve the crisis that has displaced 220,000 people since April and undone three years of relatively improved relations between longtime adversaries Congo and Rwanda.

"Given this progress and recognising that the government of Rwanda has continued to demonstrate its strong commitment to reducing poverty and improving its financial management, Britain will partially restore its general budget support to Rwanda," Mitchell said in a statement.

Mitchell said the decision to release only around $12 million in blocked aid reflected continued concerns about Kigali's alleged backing for the rebels.

Kampeta Sayinzoga, permanent secretary at Rwanda's ministry of finance, said the decision to unblock the funds had been taken after continuous dialogue with the UK government.

INSURGENTS

Britain has long been one of Rwanda's staunchest allies and its suspension of funds underscored deep international frustrations at outside meddling in Congo's recurrent crises.

Rwanda has repeatedly sent soldiers into its unstable neighbour during the last two decades, citing a need to tackle Rwandan insurgents operating out of Congo's eastern hills.

Critics say security threats are used as a front for lucrative economic and political networks in the region.

Lambert Mende, a spokesman for Congo's government, said: "We do not share their analysis (of the situation) ... This will not help to resolve the problems in the region. We'll speak to express how extremely dangerous we think their decision is."

Last week Congo called for U.N. sanctions against senior Rwandan figures alleged to be backing the rebels.

U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Watch said Rwandan soldiers were still supporting M23 fighters in eastern Congo.

"The DFID (British) decision appears to be based on wishful thinking rather than accurate information ... Rwandan soldiers are still playing a critical role in supporting this brutal rebel group," HRW's senior Africa researcher Anneke Van Woudenberg said.

Ties between the two countries had improved after a 2009 Rwandan-backed deal to integrate previous Kigali-linked rebels into Congo's armed forces and some joint operations between the two countries to tackle Rwandan Hutu FDLR gunmen.

But rebels accuse Kinshasa of failing to stick to the deal.

Last week, Rwanda withdrew more than 300 soldiers from eastern Congo who had been fighting covert missions alongside Congolese troops, saying the situation on the ground made their continued presence impossible.

There has been a lull in fighting in the past few weeks but an international "neutral force" due to be dispatched to the region has not yet materialised.

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