Rwanda – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Winchester asks about involvement of Rwandan army in conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo

The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 27th April 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked His Majesty’s Government:

what consideration they have given to imposing sanctions on the Rwandan army and key military officials for supporting, training and fighting alongside the March 23 Movement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
what assessment they have made of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and what representations they have made to the governments of the DRC and Rwanda regarding commitments to implementing the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, including the Regional Economic Integration Framework.

Bishop of Winchester asks about EU Agreement with Rwanda on natural resources

The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 22nd April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have had discussions with the European Union about the Memorandum of Understanding on Sustainable Raw Materials Value Chains that the EU signed with the government of Rwanda on 19 February 2024.

Bishop of Leeds, Bishop of St Albans, and Bishop of Winchester ask about conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Bishop of Leeds, the Bishop of St Albans, and the Bishop of Winchester received the following written answers on 12th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government:

what military support they are providing to the government of Rwanda for (1) training, (2) technology, (3) tactics, and (4) weapons licensing, and whether they have reviewed these arrangements following the support by the government of Rwanda for M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
what financial support, debt relief and development assistance they are providing to Rwanda, and what steps they will take to review these arrangements as a result of the support by the government of Rwanda for M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bishop of Leeds and Bishop of St Albans ask about conflict in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo

The Bishop of St Albans and the Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 12th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government:

what assessment they have made of the recent occupation of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the rebel group M23.
what discussions they have had with the government of Rwanda regarding their support for the rebel group M23 and the possibility of the group’s withdrawal from Goma and other territories it has occupied.
what steps they have taken to facilitate dialogue and to explore options for a political settlement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked what assessment they have made of the M23 rebel group taking control of Goma; and whether they intend to call on Rwanda to withdraw support to the M23 rebels and withdraw from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Votes: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill

On 22nd April 2024, the House of Lords debated Commons Reasons and Amendments to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, and votes were held on further amendments, in which bishops took part:

Votes: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill

On 17th April 2024, the House of Lords debated Commons reasons and amendments to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill. Votes were held on further amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

Votes: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill

On 20th March 2024, the House of Lords debated Commons Reasons and Amendments to the Safety of Rwanda Bill. Votes were held on motions to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

Votes: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill

On 6th March 2024, the House of Lords debated the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in the final day of the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which bishops took part:

Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments on power of the courts

During a debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration Bill on 4th March 2024, the Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of amendments 9 and 12 to the bill, tabled by Lord Anderson of Ipswich, which would allow the courts to take new factors into consideration when considering Rwanda’s safety in the future:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, for sponsoring Amendments 9 and 12, to which I have added my name. They take up matters that I and the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, raised in Committee.

Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Archbishop of Canterbury supports amendments on rule of law

On 4th March 2024, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke in a debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, in support of a group of amendments seeking to ensure compliance with the rule of law in the application of the bill:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, at this stage of the debate on this group, we are looking at two distinct things. One is the question of whether Rwanda is safe. If, as the noble Lord just said, it is unquestionably safe, it seems to me that these amendments are not a problem because, at that point, the Secretary of State can easily say, “It’s safe”, and they will have evidence of that, for this and future Governments.

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