Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had with discussions with (a) authorities in Chad and (b) international counterparts on events at the party headquarters of the Chadian Socialist Party Without Borders on 28 February 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK was appalled by the events which took place at the headquarters of the Chadian Socialist Party Without Borders in N'Djamena on 28 February. Our thoughts are with those injured and the friends and families of those killed. We are in touch with International Partners and the Chadian Authorities to urge an independent investigation into what happened. We want to see a Chad that is stable, more democratic and on a path towards long-term development. A pluralist, transparent and peaceful transition back to constitutional rule is vital for building a better future for Chad's people.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans (a) to attend the humanitarian conference on Sudan in Paris on 15 April 2024 and (b) for a representative from his Department to attend.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are still considering HMG representation at this important event.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had representatives of (a) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (b) MONUSCO, (c) the Southern African Development Community and (d) Rwanda on the (i) threat posed to the city of Goma by the M23 armed group, (ii) security of UK personnel and nationals in Goma and (iii) security of UN and other international personnel in Goma.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is concerned by the further escalation of fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its appalling humanitarian consequences. We regularly raise the threat posed by M23 and other armed groups with the governments of DRC and Rwanda. We urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the Nairobi and Luanda regional peace processes. This includes the cessation of hostilities, respect for sovereignty and agreed withdrawal by armed groups, including M23. We remain alert to the evolving security situation in eastern DRC and the safety of British nationals and UK personnel remains the FCDO's top priority.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
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 efforts to restore telecommunications and internet connectivity in Sudan; what assessment he has made of the potential additional atrocity risks associated with recent disruptions to telecommunications and internet connectivity in that country; and whether he is taking any steps to increase satellite monitoring of areas of that country where atrocity risks may be higher.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK strongly condemns the persistent blackouts occurring in Sudan and calls for an immediate resumption of telecommunications and internet connectivity. These cause immense harm by making it even more difficult for the world to see what is really happening in Sudan. They also exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, as millions of people rely on online payments for food and other essentials. Since the outbreak of conflict, we have enhanced our atrocity risk monitoring by funding open-source investigation experts to use satellite and social media to verify and preserve information relating to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
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 policies of the humanitarian situation in Zamzam camp in the North Darfur state of Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is providing £38 million in humanitarian aid to support vulnerable people in Sudan in 2023-2024. UK funded support is being delivered through the UN and other trusted partners, and through this, is providing nutrition, safe drinking water, medical care and shelter, as well as supporting protection services including for those affected by Gender Based Violence (GBV). In the next financial year 2024/2025, the UK bilateral ODA to Sudan will double to £89 million.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Nigeria in connection with the case of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. We will continue to raise Mr Sharif-Aminu's case as he appeals his sentence. In April 2023, officials raised Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, and other blasphemy cases, with the Executive Secretary of Nigeria's National Human Rights Council. Most recently, in August 2023, the British High Commissioner handed over a letter from Fiona Bruce MP, the PM's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, on Yahaya Sharif-Aminu to the Kano State Governor and discussed the case with him. More broadly, we raise Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) and the rights of those accused of blasphemy with Nigeria bilaterally and in multilateral forums including at Nigeria's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in January.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will (a) take steps to support inclusive dialogue about democratic processes in Senegal in the context of the postponement of presidential elections and (b) make representations to the Government of Senegal on protecting human rights following that postponement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The United Kingdom respects Senegal's tradition of democracy. On 6 February the FCDO released a statement expressing our concern about the postponement of the Presidential elections. We encourage Senegal to work peacefully towards a transparent, inclusive and credible election.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps he has taken to help end female genital mutilation in (a) Sierra Leone and (b) other African states.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We advocate for a comprehensive approach to eliminating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that includes prevention and access to services. In Sierra Leone, we support the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls and their education. We tackle sexual gender-based violence by providing grants to survivor-led movements and changing societal beliefs and behaviours that underpin FGM through work with women and girl led civil society organisations. Globally, the UK has supported the Africa-Led Movement to End FGM since 2013 and is providing £35 million between 2019 and 2027 to grassroots African organisations leading change within communities. We also provide funding to the UN Joint Programme on the Elimination of FGM which works with 17 national governments in Africa.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Angolan counterpart on supporting (a) investigation, (b) freezing, (c) seizure, and (d) recovery of any assets held in UK jurisdiction of individuals from that country under investigation for corruption; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime for those individuals.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK regularly engages with the Government of Angola to encourage all political parties to play a positive role in the democratic development of Angola. This includes engagement from the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit and the International Anti-Corruption Co-ordination Centre who have provided assistance and training to Angolan authorities to support efforts to tackle corruption.
Regarding Global Anti-Corruption sanctions, we continue to explore future use and implementation of our autonomous sanctions powers. Imposing sanctions is one response among other tools and we will continue to use a range of approaches to combat corruption globally. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2023 to Question 1078 on Rwanda: Human Rights, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of due process during the investigation into the death of John Williams Ntwali and; whether he is aware of any action taken by the Rwandan authorities since 7 February 2023 to address concerns around due process during that investigation.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK government understands that a police investigation determined that a traffic incident led to the death of John Williams Ntwali. We raised this case with Government of Rwanda and underlined the importance of transparent investigations. The UK remains committed to working with Rwanda to support the development of its civil and political rights, and to address any concerns around the limited space for political opposition and critical voices. We discuss these issues regularly with the Government of Rwanda, both directly and via our High Commission. We are not aware of any further updates to the case but will continue to monitor the situation.