Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting the protection of civilians in areas re-captured from al-Shabab through (a) ensuring that aid recipient communities inform the process of aid distribution and (b) building bridges between clans by enabling them to make joint decisions about where aid is delivered; and whether his Department is providing support to work of these kinds as part of its response to the food security crisis in Somalia.

As part of our departmental approach to risk, we regularly assess the impact of conflict on UK aid programmes and partners in Somalia and how best to mitigate risks. As a leading donor, we also discuss conflict risk to humanitarian operations with other donors, the UN and non-governmental organisations.

The UK advocates at all levels of the Somali Government that military planning for security operations against al-Shabaab should minimise humanitarian impacts and that all security actors should respect International Humanitarian Law, including the protection of civilians. This approach aligns with the recently published UK humanitarian framework.

The UK supports stabilisation efforts in Somalia, for example through our Early Recovery Initiative, which works with local authorities, supports local political reconciliation and supports the immediate needs of vulnerable communities.