Short: Action demand

Clare Short has called on the government to do more in the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.

The former international development secretary warned that the states "face endless killing and desperate poverty".

"We cannot afford to ignore it for human and moral reasons and for our own self interest," she told the BBC's Today programme.

Short was backed by the chairman of the parliamentary all party Africa group, Hugh Bayley.

The York MP told ePolitix.com: "Clare Short is quite right to focus on this area. On current trends for the rate of infection there will  be 30 million Aids orphans in Africa in 10 years.

"Without peace it's impossible to tackle aids and poverty. With Britain taking the EU presidency and chairing the G8 next year we are in a great position to lead the world in doing more to more to help Africa.

"Unless dramatically more is done Africa will remain trapped in poverty and war."

Troubled region

Burundi has been condemned by the UN following the massacre of 150 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo at a camp in the country.

A Burundian Hutu rebel group, the National Liberation Forces, claimed responsibility for the attack on the camp

Following civil war in the Congo, economic hardship is acute while the country is also facing a mounting HIV/Aids crisis.

As refugees return in Rwanda they do so amid lingering fear and mistrust between those who fled and those who stayed.

Some fear this could lead to fresh tensions in a country ravaged by civil war.

Short warned that the situation in the region remained tense and could spill over into the developed world.

"What we have got is failed states and marauding bands of killers and constant hatred between two peoples," said the former minister.

"If we leave it, there will be endless killing, desperate poverty... and we will have a failed continent with all the consequences of instability and danger for its neighbour Europe.

"I'm afraid the international community is not focused enough and not strongly enough trying to drive forward the peace processes that will bring this to an end."