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Rwanda: UK freezes budget support to government

The UK Government will not release its next payment of budget support to Rwanda.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The UK Government will not release its next payment of budget support to Rwanda, Development Secretary Justine Greening said today.

The £21 million payment of general budget support, which was due in December, is not being disbursed as a result of a breach of the partnership principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said:

“The government has already set out its concerns over credible and compelling reports of Rwandan involvement with M23 in DRC.

“This evidence constitutes a breach of the partnership principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding, and as a result I have decided not to release the next payment of budget support to Rwanda.

“We are committed to finding lasting solutions to the conflict in this region and will work with the Governments of Rwanda and DRC to secure a peaceful resolution to the situation in eastern DRC.”

The UK Government also announced that DFID will provide a further £18 million of support for immediate humanitarian needs in DRC which will provide 100,000 people with three months of emergency food assistance, as well as access to clean water, essential household items and emergency education for more than 130,000 people.

Published 30 November 2012