Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2023 to Question 1027 on Military Attachés, if he will publish an updated list of countries without a resident UK Defence Attache.
Answered by James Heappey
The Global Defence Network (GDN) utilises Resident and Non-Resident Defence Attachés (DA), who engage in Defence diplomacy in over three-quarters of the world’s nations. The table below has a list of countries covered on a Non-Residential Accreditations (NRA) basis, where a UK DA is not resident in country, but a DA elsewhere has the responsibility.
Country (NRA) | Location of DA |
Angola | Mozambique - Maputo |
Anguilla (British overseas territory) | Jamaica - Kingston |
Antigua & Barbuda | Jamaica - Kingston |
Armenia | Georgia – Tbilisi |
Azerbaijan | Georgia – Tbilisi |
Bahamas | Jamaica - Kingston |
Barbados | Jamaica - Kingston |
Belarus | Ukraine – Kyiv |
Belize | Jamaica - Kingston |
Benin | Accra - Ghana |
Bermuda (British overseas territory) | USA – Washington DC |
Botswana | Harare - Zimbabwe |
British Virgin Islands (British overseas territory) | Jamaica - Kingston |
Burkina Faso | Ghana - Accra |
Burundi | Uganda – Kampala |
Cambodia | (In process of transferring to) Vietnam - Hanoi |
Cayman Islands (British overseas territory) | Jamaica – Kingston |
Chad | Cameroon - Yaoundé |
Cuba | Mexico – Mexico City |
Djibouti | Ethiopia – Addis Ababa |
Dominica | Jamaica - Kingston |
Dominican Republic | Jamaica - Kingston |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kampala - Uganda |
Eritrea | Sana’a - Yemen (temporarily relocated to Riyadh) |
Ecuador | Bogota - Colombia |
Grenada | Jamaica - Kingston |
Guinea | Sierra Leone – Freetown |
Guyana | Jamaica - Kingston |
Guatemala | Mexico – Mexico City |
Guinea-Bissau | Senegal - Dakar |
Haiti | Jamaica - Kingston |
Hungary | Croatia - Zagreb |
Iceland | Norway - Oslo |
Ivory Coast | Ghana – Accra |
Khartoum | Egypt - Cairo |
Kosovo | Macedonia - Skopje |
Kyrgyzstan | Kazakhstan – Astana |
Laos | (in process of transferring to) Vietnam - Hanoi |
Lesotho | South Africa - Pretoria |
Liberia | Sierra Leone - Freetown |
Luxembourg | Belgium - Brussels |
Malawi | Zimbabwe – Harare |
Mali | Senegal - Dakar |
Malta | Rome - Italy |
Mauritania | Morocco – Rabat |
Monaco | France – Paris |
Mongolia | Japan – Tokyo |
Myanmar | Thailand - Bangkok |
Montserrat (British overseas territory) | Jamaica - Kingston |
Namibia | South Africa – Pretoria |
Niger | Cameroon – Yaoundé |
Papua New Guinea | Australia – Canberra |
Paraguay | Argentina – Buenos Aires |
Peru | Colombia - Bogota |
Rwanda | Uganda – Kampala |
Seychelles | Kenya - Nairobi |
St Kitts & Nevis | Jamaica - Kingston |
St Lucia | Jamaica - Kingston |
St Vincent | Jamaica - Kingston |
Slovakia | Czech Rep - Prague |
Slovenia | Austria – Vienna |
South Sudan | Addis Ababa – Ethiopia |
Switzerland | Vienna - Austria |
Syria | Lebanon - Beirut |
Tajikistan | Kazakhstan – Astana |
Tanzania | Kenya – Nairobi |
The Gambia | Senegal - Dakar |
Timor-Leste (East Timor) | Indonesia - Jakarta |
Togo | Ghana – Accra |
Tonga | Fiji – Suva |
Trinidad & Tobago | Jamaica - Kingston |
Turkmenistan | Uzbekistan - Tashkent |
Turks & Caicos Islands (British overseas territory) | Jamaica - Kingston |
Uruguay | Argentina - Buenos Aires |
Vanuatu | Fiji – Suva |
Venezuela | Bogota - Colombia |
Zambia | Zimbabwe - Harare |
Supported by MOD from in the UK |
|
Cape Verdi Islands |
|
Congo |
|
Gabon |
|
Panama |
|
Puerto Rica |
|
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks of the chairman of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission that there is a lack of political agreement in South Sudan to enable free and credible elections to take place; and whether they intend to make representations to the government of South Sudan on voter registration and expediting the work of the National Elections Commission.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has taken note of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission Chairman's comments and calls on the South Sudanese Government to expand political and civic space. The voices of South Sudan's diverse population, including those who hold opposing views, must be heard to ensure peaceful, credible and inclusive elections. We welcome the passing of South Sudan's National Elections Act in September 2023, but note that this was 13 months behind the transitional government's timelines set out in their Roadmap. We urge the Government of South Sudan to operationalise this law by reconstituting, adequately financing and empowering electoral institutions, including the National Elections Commission.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of concerns about a lack of preparedness for the holding of elections in South Sudan, as expressed in the discussion paper How (not) to hold elections in South Sudan published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in April 2023.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Implementation of South Sudan's Peace Agreement, including election preparations, are behind schedule. The UK continues to press for implementation of South Sudan's Peace Agreement and a peaceful transition to democracy through peaceful, credible and inclusive elections. We urge the Government of South Sudan to implement a credible electoral process for elections. Electoral credibility, the opening of political and civic space, empowering the armed forces, and the funding and operationalisation of the electoral institutions are necessary to mitigate the risk of violence and allow elections to be as safe and inclusive as possible.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the humanitarian situation in the Gambella region of Ethiopia following the migration of people from South Sudan to the area.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Ethiopia hosts nearly 1 million refugees of whom 43%, roughly 420,000 people, originate from South Sudan. The vast majority of South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia reside in seven camps in Gambella region. Refugees experience pressing humanitarian hardships in Gambella due to a combination of factors including recurrent flooding exacerbated by a shortage of donor funding. Between 2022 and 2023 aid agencies recorded a near doubling of cases of severe acute malnutrition among children under five years at Kule refugee camp. The UK is lobbying humanitarian agencies to ensure aid is prioritised effectively and reaches the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the potential impact of the conflict in Sudan on regional security.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK supports an immediate end to hostilities, both for the sake of Sudan's people, and to avoid spillover into the wider region. We continue to emphasise to the international community the importance of neutrality and of supporting a ceasefire and political transition. Since 15 April, 1.8 million people have been displaced outside of Sudan, many fleeing to neighbouring countries. The UK recognises the significant pressure that the Sudan crisis is putting on neighbouring countries and commends them for the support they are providing. We are helping those fleeing to neighbouring countries as a result of the conflict, with £7.75 million to support existing and new Sudanese refugees as well as vulnerable returnees and host communities in South Sudan and £15 million to Chad.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of allegations of internally displaced people in South Darfur being abused by the Rapid Support Forces, including allegations of rape, assault and looting; and what steps they are taking with international partners to provide (1) protection, and (2) collect and preserve evidence to bring charges against any perpetrators.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the continuing violence and suffering being wrought by the warring parties on the people of Sudan, including in Darfur. We welcome the UN Panel of Experts' report and look forward to its final publication. The UK remains committed to ensuring that those responsible for atrocities in Sudan are held to account. As well as the work of the UN Panel of Experts, we continue to support the essential work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court in investigating and documenting reports of atrocities. In addition, on 11 October, the Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution to establish an independent and international Fact-Finding Mission to ensure credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses in Sudan will be investigated impartially. The UK is also funding open-source investigation experts to use satellite imagery and social media to verify and preserve information relating to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any (1) any recent increase in the number of displaced persons from Sudan to the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile region, and (2) the impact on people in that region from crop failures and locust infestations; and what consequences there have been for the delivery of humanitarian aid to that region.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sudan currently represents the largest displacement crisis in the world, including almost 9 million people internally displaced. We don't hold data for more recent influxes or any data for the Nuba Mountain region, but as of 23 January, 127,119 people had fled to Blue Nile and 125,373 to South Kordofan since 15 April 2023. While we don't hold specific data on crop failures and locust infestations in those regions, we remain aware of acute food insecurity throughout Sudan. The UK calls on both the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access and we condemn the continuing lack of access. The UK is providing assistance to those in need through our humanitarian aid package of £38 million, as well as £7.75 million in funding for South Sudan, which includes £3.5 million to address food security in the Maban refugee camps.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the impact of the disruption to shipping in the Red Sea on food supplies to the developing world.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Houthi's attacks in the Red Sea are putting innocent lives at risk, threatening the global economy and destabilising the region. Risks to food security and price increases are higher in the region, especially in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Lebanon, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
The Government is working closely with shipping operators to mitigate any potential impact on consumers.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the disruption to shipping in the Red Sea on international food security.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Houthi's attacks in the Red Sea are putting innocent lives at risk, threatening the global economy and destabilising the region. Risks to food security and price increases are higher in the region, especially in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Lebanon, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
The Government is working closely with shipping operators to mitigate any potential impact on consumers.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of Sudanese people who have fled to (1) Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, and (2) Abyei, since violence erupted in Khartoum and Darfur in April 2023.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN estimates almost 9 million people are currently internally displaced in Sudan, making it the largest displacement crisis in the world. As of 23 January, 127,119 people have fled to Blue Nile and 125,373 to South Kordofan since 15 April 2023. Furthermore, as of 31 January, 15,750 people have fled from Sudan into Abyei since the start of the Sudan conflict. The UK is providing assistance those in need through our humanitarian aid package of £38 million for 2023-2024. In the next financial year 2024-2025, the UK bilateral ODA to Sudan will double to £89 million.