Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to support displaced people and host communities in (1) Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan in Sudan, and (2) Abyei.
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.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 potential impact of the civil war in Sudan on regional stability.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The conflict in Sudan threatens regional stability. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues with influential partner countries and institutions such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and African Union (AU), to help end the fighting, stop human rights violations and increase much-needed humanitarian assistance violence. Since 15 April, 1.6 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 South Sudan. This includes a £3.5 million allocation for food security in the Maban refugee camps, and £15 million to Chad.
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, whether his Department is taking steps to help support refugees from Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working with the UN, other donors and humanitarian agencies to coordinate the effective delivery of aid to Sudan, including to support over 7.4 million people who have been displaced by the conflict. Since 15 April, over 1.5 million people are estimated to have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries since fighting broke out. We are helping those fleeing Sudan to neighbouring countries, with £7.75 million to South Sudan. This includes a £3.5 million allocation for food security in the Maban refugee camps, and £15 million to Chad.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
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 potential implications for his policies of the World Food Programme statement entitled WFP warns that hunger catastrophe looms in conflict hit Sudan without urgent food assistance, published on 13 December 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The conflict is having a devastating impact on the Sudanese people, with 24.8 million in need of assistance. The UK is providing £36 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan in 2023/2024. We are also helping those fleeing to neighbouring countries, with £7.75 million to South Sudan, this includes a £3.5 million allocation for food security in the Maban refugee camps, and £15 million to Chad. The UK remains fully committed to ensuring safe and unimpeded humanitarian access in Sudan. We are working with the UN, other donors and humanitarian agencies to coordinate the effective delivery of aid. This includes putting pressure on parties to abide by their commitments under International Humanitarian Law and to allow lifesaving humanitarian aid to reach the Sudanese people.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK personnel have served in UN peacekeeping missions in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Heappey
Since 2019, the UK has contributed to the following UN Peacekeeping missions: MINUSMA (Mali), MONUSCO(DRC), UNFICYP(Cyprus), UNIFIL(Lebanon), UNMISS (South Sudan), UNSMIL(Libya), UNSOM(Somalia).
The total number of UK personnel who have served on these missions in each year since 2019 is outlined below.
2019: 2,284
2020: 1,115
2021: 1,844
2022: 1,978
2023: 1,211
The figures provided capture those directly employed on the UN Missions. Where the UK deployed at Unit level and above, the figures also include those who served as part of the National Support Element.
The figures do not include the UK troops training and mentoring partner forces in advance of their deployment on UN operations.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to tackle food insecurity in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The conflict is having a devastating impact on Sudanese populations, with 20.3 million people - 42 per-cent of the population - in need of urgent food assistance. In November, at the Global Food Security Summit in London, the UK pledged a further £14.3 million in humanitarian aid for Sudan, bringing our total support package to £36 million for 2023-2024, which includes some nutrition assistance. On 4 May, the UK Government announced £5 million of life-saving aid to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad who have fled the violence in Sudan. This included, in Chad, £1.75 million for the World Food Programme to preposition food before seasonal floods and, in South Sudan, £1.5 million for the World Food Programme for food in border areas.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
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 Department's policies of recent violence in Leer, South Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are aware of the recent incident in Leer and are monitoring the situation carefully. The UK supports the UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on South Sudan which prevents the flow of weapons to armed groups, subsequently reducing the violence and killing of innocent people across the country. At the UN Security Council in March 2023, we expressed concern about the escalation of subnational conflict across South Sudan and called on the South Sudanese authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and end impunity. We continue to urge the Government of South Sudan to implement their Peace Agreement, including completing the unification of forces which is necessary to break the cycle of subnational violence.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) internally displaced people in, and (2) the number of refugees from, Sudan and South Sudan.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since 15 April, over 1.4 million people are estimated to have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries since fighting broke out, 338,374 people have fled to Egypt; 550,407 to Chad; 413,516 to South Sudan; 93,310 to Ethiopia; 25,428 to The Central African Republic (CAR). According to the International Organisation for Migration, there are 2.2 million internally displaced persons in South Sudan, and more than 2.3 million South Sudanese are refugees in neighbouring countries in the East African region. The UK is monitoring the situation in Sudan and South Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts of the conflict on Sudan's neighbouring countries.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the UK's response to acute humanitarian needs in Sudan and South Sudan.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's top humanitarian priority in Sudan is to secure humanitarian access and operational security guarantees for humanitarian agencies. In November, we announced £14.3 million in humanitarian aid for Sudan, bringing our total support to £36 million for 2023-2024. This year, the UK has also committed £28.1 million of humanitarian aid to South Sudan, including £2.25 million to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees there, who have fled the violence in Sudan. UK support is being delivered through the UN and other trusted partners and includes crucial food security and nutrition assistance, safe drinking water, medical care, shelter, and protection services including for those affected by Gender Based Violence (GBV).
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 reports that more than 6 million people, half of them children, have been forcibly displaced in Sudan; and that Sudan now represents the biggest displacement crisis globally.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the ongoing violence in Sudan, and the consequent humanitarian impacts on people displaced both inside the country and those forced to flee to neighbouring countries. We commend those countries who have kept their borders open. In May, the Minister for Development and Africa announced that the UK would provide £21.7 million in humanitarian aid for people in need in Sudan. This followed an earlier announcement of £5 million to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees fleeing to South Sudan and Chad. We continue to call on both sides of the conflict to abide by their responsibilities under International Law, protect civilians and to grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access, so that aid can reach those who need it, including those who have been displaced.