Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the attack on a church in Burkina Faso on 25 February 2014.

The UK is appalled by the attacks against churches, mosques and local communities in Burkina Faso that took place in late February. As Lord Ahmad said on 26 February, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a fundamental right and must be protected, and those responsible for these heinous attacks must be held to account. We routinely discuss security challenges with the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso and continue to work with partners in the region to promote stability.

The UK is monitoring the threat from terrorist groups in the Sahel and has proscribed the Al-Qaeda associated group Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). We assess that the terrorist threat in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso will likely increase as a result of ongoing instability as will the risk of atrocities against people of all faiths by jihadist armed groups. We do not believe that the withdrawal of French troops alone will have direct implications on the safety of Christian minorities due to the often remote regions where these attacks take place, and the multitude of local factors that influence conflict dynamics in Sahel.

The UK signed up to the UN Security Council statement condemning the terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso which was issued on 29 February 2024, and also continues to provide vital humanitarian aid in the Sahel to support those affected by conflict.