British MPs call for “parity of aid”

MPs debating the Great Lakes crisis in the British parliament have stressed the need to apply a regional interpretation to Britain’s aid policies in the region. David Lammy, the MP for London’s Tottenham constituency, said that people in Burundi found it hard to understand why the British government was prepared to give so much aid to Rwanda, compared to the resources allocated to Burundi and the DRC. He pointed out that in 1998-99, UK gross expenditure on aid in Rwanda amounted to 13.7 million pounds, compared to 1.5 million pounds for the DRC and 300,000 pounds for Burundi. Lammy, who recently visited the region, noted that the wars in Burundi, Rwanda and DRC were “inextricably linked”. “If we cannot achieve parity of aid and funding across the region, I urge the Secretary of State for International Development to continue to press our international partners in Europe to do more,” he said. Calling for a more coordinated European approach, he condemned “European bureaucracy” which all too often delayed the arrival of aid in the countries needing it. Another speaker, Tess Kingham the MP for Gloucester who was also on the trip, called on the international community to make more effort for the peace process in Burundi. “I was distressed to learn that little thought had been given by the UN and member countries to providing adequate funds for the demobilisation of combatants in Burundi and their reintegration into society,” she said. Other speakers stressed the impact of small arms circulating in the Great Lakes region and “conflict diamonds” used to fund the wars. They warned that if the UN totally withdrew from DRC this “will kill all chances of peace in that part of Africa”. Replying to questions, the British minister of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs, Peter Hain, said donors’ plans to engage in post-conflict reconstruction in the Great Lakes region depended on access and security conditions on the ground. “Recent fighting in the Katanga province of the DRC highlights the difficulties that we face in trying to deliver urgently needed humanitarian assistance,” he said. Hain believed that “if properly implemented” the Lusaka peace accord and Kampala disengagement plan could bring an end to the war in DRC. He noted that the British government had established a joint pool of funds to support global conflict prevention, which would come into operation in Africa next year. On Rwanda, he said Britain recognised the efforts Kigali had made in “building an accountable and inclusive system”. “We do not support the involvement of Rwanda or any of the parties in the DRC war, although we recognise it has legitimate security concerns,” he stated. The British government would continue to provide Burundi with funds to help implement the Arusha peace accord, signed on 28 August. Explaining why there was no parity of aid, he said Britain did not have close historic ties with Burundi nor any representation in Bujumbura. “We are keen to contribute to post-conflict efforts - bilateral and multilateral - led by others who are better placed to take the lead and we will back them,” he said.