Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with (a) his counterpart in Ethiopia, (b) his counterpart in Somalia, (c) authorities in Somaliland, (d) the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, (e) the African Union, (f) other states and (g) other international organisations on the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland of 1 January 2024; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that agreement on (i) regional security and (ii) the status of Somaliland.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO notes the announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, which suggests that Ethiopia will recognise Somaliland's independence in return for the lease of territory. We are concerned by escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa and are engaging with all relevant parties through our posts in the region to call for calm and encourage dialogue. The UK has reaffirmed its respect for Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and we are aware of statements from the countries and regional bodies referenced in the question. The UK's position remains that the settlement of Somaliland's status is for Somalia and Somaliland to resolve through a consultative process.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support (a) peaceful and (b) inclusive dialogue in Democratic Republic of the Congo following the presidential election; and what steps he is taking to engage with his Congolese counterpart on (i) insecurity, (ii) climate objectives and (iii) other issues.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The United Kingdom commends Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) voters for their participation in the Presidential elections and their determination to exercise their democratic rights. We note the preliminary reports of electoral observation missions which flagged several irregularities in the electoral process. We, along with our partners, urge the government of DRC to investigate any issues transparently. We are also encouraging all parties to raise any complaints through peaceful and constitutional means. The UK remains a committed partner to DRC - including on climate, where we co-chair the development partner working group that coordinates with Government, and chair the Central African Forest Initiative. We will continue working with GoDRC and the region to address insecurity. We are concerned about the appalling humanitarian situation in eastern DRC, and are addressing this through the recently announced 3-year £98 million UK funded humanitarian and resilience programme for crisis affected communities where food insecurity is highest.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to build consensus among international partners on halting arms supplies to all parties to the conflict in Sudan in advance of the publication of any report of the Panel of Experts to the UN Sudan Sanctions Committee.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK condemns any actions that fuels the brutal conflict in Sudan. In March, the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts, and extended the Darfur arms embargo until 12 September 2024. There is also a longstanding bilateral UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan. These regimes have been used to constrain the flow of weapons into the country and support efforts to stop those who pose a threat to stability in Darfur. We continue to place emphasis on the importance of neutrality and of supporting a ceasefire and civilian political transition. In addition, UK officials have engaged extensively with the UN Panel of Experts on their findings. The UK will engage closely with the US (as penholder) on the renewal of the Panel of Experts mandate which is due to expire in March.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what consular assistance has been provided to British nationals who are (a) former and (b) current members of the Synagogue Church of all Nations in Nigeria since March 2010; and if he has made representations to his counterparts in Nigeria on consular cases involving that Church.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO is deeply concerned about the reports of violence and abuse surrounding the Synagogue Church of All Nations. We have raised these allegations with Nigerian State Government representatives and will also raise with the Federal authorities. We take all reports of crime, including sexual assault and violence against British nationals overseas very seriously and encourage British nationals who want to raise such allegations, whether current or historic, to contact our consular teams who can support them to report these to the authorities. British nationals in Nigeria in need of urgent help can call us on +234 (9) 462 3100 or if in the UK +44 20 7008 5000.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies in support of security in Nigeria of the killings of civilians in Tudun Biri in Kaduna state of Nigeria on 3 December 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK acknowledges the tragic deaths of civilians in Tudun Biri in Kaduna State on 3 December 2023. We welcome President Tinubu's commitment to launch an investigation into the incident. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are committed to supporting efforts to tackle insecurity and secure a safe and prosperous Nigeria. The UK's engagement with Nigeria's security forces emphasises the importance of human security and civil-military coordination on operations. UK support for building Nigeria's defence capacity routinely includes training on international humanitarian law and protection of civilians.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to engage with Mauritania on security issues following the formal withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the G5 Sahel; and what steps he is taking with international partners to address the impact of those withdrawals on the (a) Sahel Coalition and (b) Alliance Sahel.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is engaging closely with Mauritania, the G5 Sahel Presidency, on the recent withdrawal of Niger and Burkina Faso. We continue to discuss the impacts of the withdrawals on the Sahel Coalition and the Alliance Sahel with partners, with a meeting of the Coalition planned for 14 December. The UK stands with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in calling for the restoration of democracy in Niger. Mauritania remains an important regional partner and we are working with NATO partners on a Defence Capacity Building programme for the country. I met with the Mauritanian Ambassador in London on 11 December.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support human rights and civilian protection monitoring in Sudan following the ending of the UNITAMS mandate on 3 December 2023; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of resources allocated for those purposes by the (a) Sudan office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and (b) Sudan Fact-Finding Mission established by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK continues to fund and support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. This financial year, the UK has also provided £600,000 to the Centre for Information Resilience's Sudan's Witness Project, which is investigating attacks against civilians. Despite the recent termination of The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan's (UNITAM) mandate following the removal of host state consent, the UK will continue to use its position as penholder at the UN Security Council to call out human rights abuses and we have worked closely with Council members and Sudan to retain a 120-day briefing cycle. In October, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' (US, Norway, Germany, UK) resolution to establish an independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) for Sudan which, once operational, will comprise 18 staff plus three experts.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help de-escalate violence in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK condemns the violence which took place on Sunday 26 November. We welcomed President Bio's call for unity and commitment to hold those responsible to account, and the statements from all political parties denouncing the violence. We continue to follow the situation closely and to engage Government, political parties and other stakeholders on the response to the 26 November events.
Following potential discrepancies in the electoral process in June, the UK continues to work with all stakeholders implementing the commitments made in the post-election peace dialogue, and to support a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Sierra Leone.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of recent violence in Leer, South Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
We are aware of the recent incident in Leer and are monitoring the situation carefully. The UK supports the UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on South Sudan which prevents the flow of weapons to armed groups, subsequently reducing the violence and killing of innocent people across the country. At the UN Security Council in March 2023, we expressed concern about the escalation of subnational conflict across South Sudan and called on the South Sudanese authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and end impunity. We continue to urge the Government of South Sudan to implement their Peace Agreement, including completing the unification of forces which is necessary to break the cycle of subnational violence.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the level of risk of (a) identity-based violence and (b) other potential abuses against members of Tuareg communities in Mali.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO is monitoring the situation in northern Mali closely, including instances of identity-based violence and other potential abuses against Tuareg communities. The UK has been robust at the UN Security Council in emphasising the need to end impunity and that Wagner Group, whose record of human rights abuses and violations is clear, will not deliver the long-term peace or security Mali needs. To address this issue, the UK is urging parties to the conflict to reinvigorate inclusive dialogue, and Lord Ahmad discussed this with Algerian Foreign Minister Attaf on this during the Algerian Strategic Dialogue in November. The UK is also working to support initiatives, including through the UN, aimed at protecting human rights across Mali and ensuring perpetrators can be held to account, regardless of who they are.