Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking steps to support Chad with the arrival of refugees who have been displaced during the war in Sudan.

The UK recognises the incredible strain that the wholly unjustified conflict in Sudan has placed on neighbouring countries. Since the outbreak of the conflict in May, Chad, the second poorest country in the world, has received over 500,000 refugees from Sudan- more than any other country in the region. At the outbreak of the conflict, we rapidly allocated £2.75 million to provide urgent shelter and food assistance to those fleeing violence and atrocities. We have since contributed a further £2.3 million to respond to increasing humanitarian needs. We are closely monitoring the situation in Eastern Chad, where the majority of refugees remain and are engaging with the Chadian government to better understand the impact of the conflict on refugees and local populations.