Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 286088 on Yemen: Military Intervention, what additional information has he received from the coalition partners on the attack on a detention centre in Dhamar, Yemen on 1 September 2019.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We have received no additional information on the reported attack on 1 September in Dhamar province, Yemen. We take very seriously allegations that detainees and civilians were killed in the attack and therefore welcome the Saudi-led Coalition (SLC) referral of the incident to the Joint Incident Assessment Team and await its findings. The UK takes every opportunity to raise with Saudi ministers and senior leadership within the SLC the importance of International Humanitarian Law compliance, and of the need for speedy, thorough, independent investigation and reporting where violations are alleged.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that local Yemeni organisations are involved in the peace process in that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK is supporting Yemen through £6.6 million of funding from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) this year. This funding will support different programmes, including bolstering the UN’s capacity to facilitate the peace process, working with groups formally outside the formal peace process and establishing long-lasting conflict resolution mechanisms in Yemeni communities.
The UK will also continue to elevate and champion women peacebuilders in Yemen and provide spaces for Yemeni women to engage with the peace process and across the Tracks. We continue to support UN Women through the Yemeni Women’s Pact for Peace and Security (Tawafaq). This Pact is a powerful platform for Yemeni women leaders to forge strategic links, develop effective coalitions, and raise awareness of women organisations.
We are also funding a Gender Advisor and Senior Inclusion Advisor within the UN Special Envoy’s office to ensure the peace process is representative and inclusive. Through CSSF, we support a grassroots Track 3 initiative on women, peace and security to ensure local voices of Yemeni women are amplified in the peace process.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 September 2019 to Question 290584, whether his Department was aware of the Saudi Press Agency release of 14 September 2018 that stated that an RSLF helicopter crashed on operations in Al-Mahra province in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We closely monitor the situation in Yemen. We do not hold an official record of the incident in question.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) Saudi Arabian and (b) Emirati counterparts on the airstrike on a mosque in Al Sawad, Amran Governorate in Yemen on 23 September; and if he will make it his policy to support an independent investigation into that airstrike.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian deaths after recent attacks in Amran and Al Dhale’e. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected. We are working with our partners to try and establish exactly what happened. We welcome the Coalition’s referral of both incidents to be investigated by the Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT). The UK continues to call on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to exercise restraint, comply fully with International Humanitarian Law and engage constructively with the peace process led by the UN Special Envoy, which is the only way to end the cycle of violence.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) Saudi Arabian and (b) Emirati counterparts on the two airstrikes on civilian residences in Al Fakher, Al Dhale’e Governorate in Yemen on 24 September; and if he will make it his policy to support an independent investigation into those airstrikes.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian deaths after recent attacks in Amran and Al Dhale’e. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected. We are working with our partners to try and establish exactly what happened. We welcome the Coalition’s referral of both incidents to be investigated by the Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT). The UK continues to call on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to exercise restraint, comply fully with International Humanitarian Law and engage constructively with the peace process led by the UN Special Envoy, which is the only way to end the cycle of violence.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy to support the renewal and strengthening of the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council Group of Eminent Experts to investigate violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK voted in favour of the UN Human Rights Council resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Group of Eminent Experts. We welcome the renewal of its mandate, although it is disappointing that a single consensus resolution was not possible. It is important to give the Group more time to fully examine the conflict and to ensure that their conclusions accurately reflect the conduct of all parties.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on Iran's involvement in the conflict in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
As the Foreign Secretary set out to the House on 25 September 2019, we must see an end to Iran’s interference in Yemen, which has stoked further conflict through support for the Houthi rebels and fuelled the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today. Iran’s provision of weapons to the Houthis is contrary to the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and the UN Security Council embargo on the export of weapons by Iran. We will continue to urge Iran to cease supplying weapons to the Houthis and to start playing a constructive instead of a destructive role in that conflict.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the RUSI and Save the Children report entitled The UK strategy on protection of civilians published on 18 September 2019.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading a review of the Government's approach to Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. This is an opportunity to take into account recent developments in the field of Protection of Civilians policy, including research and analysis by governments, international organisations, NGOs and academia. In this context, the recent report by the Royal United Services Institute and Save the Children will inform the review, which we expect to conclude by the end of 2019.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that the review of the UK’s Protection of Civilians Strategy includes (a) the vulnerabilities faced by children in conflict zones, (b) civilian casualty recording and (c) civilian harm-tracking mechanisms.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading a review of the Government's approach to Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. The review involves contributions from both the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence. It is an opportunity for the Government to take into account recent developments in the field of Protection of Civilians policy, including work by states, international organisations, civil society and academia, and to consider a wide range of issues, including children in conflict zones, casualty recording and civilian harm-tracking mechanisms. The review will be completed by the end of 2019.