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 potential implications for his policies of reports of attacks on communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt; and what steps his Department is taking to help tackle violence against religious communities in the region.

The UK is closely monitoring recent reports of violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt. Intercommunal violence has a devastating effect on communities. The root causes are complex and frequently relate to competition over resources, historical grievances, and criminality.  We are supporting Nigeria to tackle the root causes of intercommunal conflict through our Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme and continue to engage in local and national peace-building efforts. The UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) is building capacity in Nigeria's security forces to tackle violence against all civilian communities, including religious communities.