Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) regional security and (b) migration to the EU of instability in the Central African Republic.

The unrest in the Central African Republic (CAR) has impacted on its neighbours through refugee flows and cross-border violence. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of reports of rebel incursions spilling over the border from CAR into Cameroon. Approximately 442,495 of CAR’s population have been internally displaced. Approximately 241,231 refugees have fled to Cameroon, 93,120 to Chad, 68,165 to the Democratic Republic of Congo and 21,554 to the Republic of Congo. The Government is working closely with EU and African Union partners ahead of the Valletta Summit in November to develop proposals for action to disrupt smuggling and trafficking networks; strengthen cooperation on returns; and address the root causes of migration, including regional instability.