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 help de-escalate violence in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
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: 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 Department's policies of recent violence in Leer, South Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
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: 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 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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
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.
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, with reference to the decision of the International Parliamentary Union Governing Council on Case SWZ-COLL-01, published on 27 October 2023, what recent steps he has taken to support the rule of law and political space in Eswatini; and whether he has taken recent steps to support (a) trade union and (b) other civil society engagement between organisations based in the UK and Eswatini.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Since reopening our High Commission in Eswatini in 2019, the UK has been active in promoting good governance and the rule of law, through engagement with trade unions, political groups and civil society organisations as well as with the three branches of government. During the extended political transition this year, the High Commission supported efforts to promote peaceful and credible elections. The High Commission has also supported a series of media freedom events, and used International Programme Fund resources to promote a range of local initiatives in partnership with NGOs.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report “Join Us or Die”: Rwanda’s Extraterritorial Repression, published by Human Rights Watch in October 2023; and whether he has had discussions with (a) the Home Secretary and (b) other Cabinet colleagues on the issues raised in that report.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Where we have concerns about the restrictions on political opposition, civil society and media freedom, we regularly express these to the Rwandan government. Most recently, I discussed these issues during my visit to Kigali in late August.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) make an assessment of the likelihood of conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, (b) tackle the risks of material support for armed groups within Ethiopia from neighbouring states and c) support the African Union on these issues.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We continue to engage the Ethiopian government on peace within the country and in the region. On 27 October, the British Ambassador to Ethiopia told Ethiopia's national security advisor that Red Sea port access should not be pursued by aggression. To mark the one year anniversary of the Pretoria peace deal, the British Embassy Addis Ababa coordinated a joint statement with Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, which called for further progress on implementation, including the full withdrawal of Eritrean and non-government forces from Ethiopia. The UK is also contributing funding to the African Union's Monitoring, Compliance and Verification Mechanism to support implementation, and we continue to press the government of Ethiopia, and all armed actors, to resolve their disputes through inclusive dialogue.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of how many (a) adult and (b) unaccompanied child Eritrean nationals eligible to come to the UK are unable to exit Ethiopia; and how many such people are receiving consular support from the UK.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Home Office are working with the International Committee of the Red Cross to process 16 Eritrean Nationals who hold UK visas and are trying to exit Ethiopia, 10 of whom are unaccompanied minors, to enable them to travel to the UK as soon as their exit visas are granted. The FCDO and our embassies, high commissions and consulates worldwide provide consular assistance to British nationals abroad. We cannot provide consular support to other countries' nationals, even if they have been living legally in the UK or have close connections to the UK.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to the Answer of 31 January 2023 to Question 129752 on Rwanda: Human Rights, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress of the investigation into the death of John Williams Ntwali in Rwanda; and what steps his Department have taken to monitor that investigation.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK government is aware of the tragic death of John Williams Ntwali. We understand that a police investigation determined a traffic incident led to his death. Noting concerns around due process, we have raised this case with government of Rwanda and underlined the importance of transparent investigations. The UK encourages Rwanda to uphold and champion Commonwealth values of freedom of speech and the press, and respect for human rights. We discuss these issues regularly with the Government of Rwanda. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to offer support to civil society organisations in Senegal for (a) election monitoring and (b) promoting democratic practices ahead of that country’s elections in 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Peaceful, free and credible elections are essential to Senegal's stability. Our Ambassador and Embassy in Dakar regularly reinforce these messages, together with international partners, with the Senegalese Government and civil society groups. The Embassy will monitor the upcoming Presidential elections process closely. We are also exploring support to civil society groups through our International Programme Fund to reinforce democratic practices, specifically media freedom, during the elections period.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on taking steps to support evacuees from Sudan who are approaching the end of their six-month compassionate dispensation visas.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Where a person has leave in the UK but is unable to return home they should apply for Leave Outside the Rules using the FLR(HRO) form [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-extend-stay-in-the-uk-flrhro]. Each case will be assessed on its merits. If they are unable to afford the fee then a fee waiver application can be made here: [https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/fee-waiver].