Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to the humanitarian and security situation in Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique; what assessment they have made of reported atrocities by (1) non-state armed groups, and (2) the Mozambique army and police; and what assessment they have made of the number of people displaced by fighters linked to Islamic State.

The UK is deeply concerned by the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique, and the increasing attacks by groups with links to Islamic extremism. To date, the insurgency has claimed over 2,000 lives and created over 515,000 internally-displaced people. On 10 November, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Africa publicly condemned the recent attacks in which over 50 people were reportedly beheaded. We were also deeply concerned at videos, released in September, of alleged human rights abuses by the Mozambique security forces. Acts committed in the video were horrific and unacceptable, and we have urged the Mozambiquan authorities to ensure there is a full investigation to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

We are working with the Government of Mozambique to address the root drivers of conflict and instability in northern Mozambique, including through engagement with the Government of Mozambique's regional development authority in Cabo Delgado, and by providing targeted technical assistance under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding. To date, the UK has provided £19m of humanitarian and development support to internally displaced people in northeast Mozambique through UN agencies, ensuring displaced people have access to food, shelter and basic healthcare.