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 (a) security and (b) humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic; and what support the UK is providing to that country.
The UK Government is concerned about the security and humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) in the wake of presidential and legislative elections. The CAR Government has implemented a 15 day state of emergency in response to violence throughout the electoral period, and we have updated UK travel advice for CAR to advise against all travel across the country. Continued clashes between armed groups and the CAR Government are exacerbating an already serious humanitarian situation leading to loss of life, increased population displacement and greater levels of food insecurity. We have repeatedly called on all parties to cease violence and engage in peaceful and constructive dialogue. I [Mr Duddridge] reiterated this in my [Mr Duddridge] tweet of 21 January and expressed our sadness at the deaths of civilians and UN peacekeepers.
The UK contributes approximately £40 million annually to the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA) which continues to provide security and patrol areas across the country. The UK is also contributing £21.5 million towards the humanitarian effort in 2020/2021, delivering emergency health, nutrition, food security and livelihoods support to a million Central Africans.