Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the economic situation in South Sudan.

The continuing collapse of the South Sudanese economy is exacerbating the already dire humanitarian and security situation. The World Bank expects the economy to contract by nearly 7 percent in 2017-18 due to ongoing conflict and disruption to oil production. The currency continues to depreciate and inflation remains stubbornly high at over 100 percent a year. Average household incomes have fallen by 80 percent since 2013 and 1.5 million people are on the brink of famine, more than twice as many as in January 2017. The solution to the economic and humanitarian crises is peace. The UK is playing an active role in peace talks and encourages all parties to enter the next round of the High Level Revitalisation Forum with a genuine commitment to peace.