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.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to impose further targeted sanctions and Magnitsky-style penalties on all those who have abused human rights in Darfur.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government does not speculate on future designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Our immediate priority is to ensure a cessation of violence across Sudan, and secure humanitarian access. All parties to the conflict must uphold their responsibility to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian assistance can be delivered quicky and safely.
We continue to call on both sides to respect International Law and immediately end the violence for the sake of the people of Sudan and the region.
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 in response to the UNHCR 2023 Regional Refugee Response Plan to assist South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries; and what estimate has been made of how many of the refugees are returning to South Sudan through agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is committed to supporting South Sudanese refugees in the region. In financial year 2022/23, the UK Government allocated at least £156 million in humanitarian support to East Africa. Our support is providing essential services and supplies, including food, clean water, nutritional support and healthcare, to millions of people, including South Sudanese refugees. The UNHCR reports that over 500,000 refugees have returned to South Sudan since the signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement in 2018. A stable, sustained peace in South Sudan will be essential to allow refugees to return home safely - the UK funds peacebuilding programmes and continuously calls on the Government of South Sudan to implement the peace agreement in full, stop the violence and protect its citizens.
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 current state of food distribution among South Sudanese refugees in Arua district, northern Uganda; and what steps they have taken in response to the latest World Food Programme appeal for that area.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Fifty-seven percent of Uganda's 1.5 million refugees are from South Sudan, accommodated mostly in settlements in the West Nile region, bordering Arua District. The UK is committed to providing life-saving assistance and protection to all refugees in Uganda, including nutrition and cash support for food security and to build self-reliance. In financial year 2022/23, the UK Government provided £9.1 million for refugee support in Uganda. We are working with the World Food Programme and other partners to ensure limited resources are prioritised for the most vulnerable.