Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of insecurity in Mali on Christian communities; and what steps her Department is taking with international partners to support the protection of displaced religious minority communities.

The UK is gravely concerned at the fragile security situation in Mali, including reports of rising attacks against religious minority groups. We raise our concerns about protection of minority communities and social cohesion directly with the Government of Mali. We also provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance including projects dedicated to protection of civilians across the Sahel: last financial year the UK provided over £177 million of bilateral Official Development Assistance to the region.

More broadly, the UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, and we deplore the persecution of Christians globally on account of their faith, alongside the persecution of other groups. We regularly highlight FoRB violations through our position at the UN, the G7, and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance.