Britain vows to vet Rwandan aid carefully

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LONDON, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- The British development secretary said Britain would carefully vet financial aid for Rwanda after a former minster was accused of rogue payments.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening told lawmakers that "all options were on the table" for aid designated for Rwanda, which is accused of supporting the rebel March 23 movement in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. This may include funneling aid to a third-party rather than issue direct payments to Kigali, the BBC reports.

M23 is accused of human rights abuses in DRC. The group mutinied early this year, saying the government had reneged on a 2009 peace agreement.

Andrew Mitchell, Greening's predecessor, was questioned this month by a development committee on aid distributed to Rwanda during his tenure, which lasted from 2010 to this September. Aid was delivered despite concerns over M23 funding. Mitchell told the committee he was offended by allegations he acted as a "rogue minister."

Greening testified that Britain would consider additional aid to Rwanda "very carefully."