Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case of Joana Mamombe MP and other political activists recently detained in Zimbabwe; whether they have made representations to the government of that country in respect of those detentions in the context of the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe; and what plans they have to press for an increase in the number of international observers of those elections.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has observed a trend of lengthy pre-trial detention of government critics in Zimbabwe. The Minister for Development and Africa raised this issue with Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa when they met in the margins of His Majesty the King's Coronation. As I, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, stated in the House last week, 'we have raised our concerns with the Government [of Zimbabwe] and have publicly called for full investigation into the allegations', of abduction and abuse of opposition members Joana Mamombe MP, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova. The UK welcomes Zimbabwe's announcement that invitations have been sent to a broad range of international observer missions for elections on 23 August.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which detention centres for migrants and refugees in Libya are (1) routinely visited by United Nations agencies, and (2) receive international aid, irrespective of who operates those centres.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life. We continue to monitor the abuse of migrants and refugees in Libya and the inhumane conditions in detention centres. The UK supported the mandate for the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya to asses human rights abuses, including violations in detention centres. We continue to urge the interim Government of National Unity to take steps to end the exploitation and abuse of migrants and to implement a better functioning system that respects human rights. We support the UN's call for detention centres across Libya to be closed, and call on all parties to engage with the UN and the humanitarian community so that all migrants and refugees can be evacuated safely in accordance with international human rights law.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of success that they or United Nations agencies are having in reaching refugees fleeing genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Access into Sudan remains extremely limited, including almost no access to parts of Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan states. We continue to work with the UN, neighbouring states, donors and humanitarian agencies to coordinate the effective delivery of aid in Sudan and urge the parties to the conflict to abide by their commitments under international humanitarian law. It is essential that lifesaving humanitarian aid is allowed to reach those in harder-to-reach areas, such as Darfur. The Minister for Development and Africa [Andrew Mitchell] announced that the UK will provide £21.7 million in humanitarian aid for Sudan. This follows an earlier announcement of £5 million to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad. This aid will provide assistance such as safe drinking water, food, medical care and shelter to people in need, as well as supporting Gender Based Violence protection services. The UK also continues to fund and provide support to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a UN body that provides a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. OHCHR have deployed staff to neighbouring countries' borders to interview survivors of the violence, with a view to collecting witness testimonies and preserving these for possible future accountability mechanisms, should they be established.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made by international agencies which the UK supports with conflict resolution in Abyei, on the South Sudan border.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is engaged with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and welcomed the UNISFA mandate being renewed for 12 months by the UN Security Council in November. The UK raised our stance on ongoing intercommunal violence in Abyei at the UN Security Council on 9 May, and called on the Government of South Sudan to remove its forces from Abyei without delay. It is essential that UNISFA is able to fulfil its mandate to protect civilians, and support law and order, local peacebuilding and community dialogues.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to re-assess the UK’s contribution to humanitarian programmes in South Sudan in the light of the civil war; and whether they intend to make up any shortfall.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is still a leading donor in South Sudan and remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable South Sudanese people through interventions such as emergency food aid and daily water and sanitation provision. For this financial year, the Minister for Development and Africa announced £143 million in humanitarian aid for East Africa, including £18.9 million for South Sudan. The UK Government also funds education, health and peacebuilding programmes that help build resilience in South Sudan, and funds the placement of technical experts in both the ceasefire and peace agreement implementation monitoring mechanisms which are crucial for securing a peaceful transition to democracy in South Sudan.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they assess the international response to the needs of the displaced and returnees entering South Sudan; and which (1) UN agencies, and (2) NGOs, are now receiving UK support.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK continues to work closely with international partners to respond to the needs of the displaced and returnees entering South Sudan. On 4 May, the UK Government announced an initial £5 million allocation to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad. This support will benefit the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and non-governmental organisations. In South Sudan, £1.5 million will be allocated to the World Food Programme (WFP) for food in border areas and £500,000 to UNICEF for gender-based Violence protection services. We will continue to monitor the situation in Sudan closely, including the humanitarian impacts of the conflict on neighbouring countries.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what contribution they have made to the World Food Programme in Sudan so far in relation to other donors; and whether these figures take account of aid to returnees fleeing to South Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
On 24 May, the Minister for Development and Africa announced £21.7 million in humanitarian aid to help address people's urgent needs in Sudan. Earlier this month, the Government also announced £5 million to help meet the needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad; this includes £2 million in South Sudan, of which £1.5 million has been allocated to the World Food Programme for food security and nutrition in border areas. Details of other donors' contributions to the Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan can be found here: https://fts.unocha.org/appeals/1123/summary. The UK remains a committed donor to Sudan, having spent over £250 million in humanitarian aid in the last five years. The UK Government is monitoring the current situation in Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts of the conflict on Sudan's neighbouring countries.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make a new appointment to the position of the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan as soon as the term of the current office-holder ends; and whether they have had discussions with the government of the United States to encourage that country to appoint their own special envoy.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan is fully engaged in efforts to secure peace in both Sudan and South Sudan and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. We will continue to work closely with the US on the situation in Sudan.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan provide aid to Darfuri victims and survivors of violence in Sudan; and what plans they have to support the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan to achieve more public awareness of abuses in Darfur.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK's priority is to secure workable humanitarian access, including operational security assurances for humanitarian agencies and ensuring communities can have safe access to working basic services. There can be no aid without access. We will work closely with the UN, our partners and the international humanitarian system so they can move quickly to scale-up delivery within Sudan when the access situation improves. We have raised our concerns on human rights violations in Sudan in statements and resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council, and directly with the Sudanese authorities. We continue to call for an end to violence, and for those responsible for human rights violations to be held to account.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to develop a new conflict strategy and give further support to the UNITAMS peace-building unit in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
As penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council, the UK will lead the renewal of the mandate for the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). Working with Council Members, we will ensure that UNITAMS has an effective mandate to address the situation on the ground.
We continue to call on both sides to end the violence for the sake of the people of Sudan and the region. We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues with regional partners and others, including through multilateral organisations, to bring about a cessation of violence and pave the way for meaningful talks.