Sudan: Operational Restrictions on Humanitarian Actors
Debate between Baroness Chapman of Darlington and Baroness Brown of Silvertown
Baroness Brown of Silvertown
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of increasing registration requirements and operational restrictions on humanitarian actors by parties to the conflict in Sudan.
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)
My Lords, we are deeply alarmed by both the RSF’s and the SAF’s attempts to restrict life-saving aid from reaching Sudanese civilians. We are lobbying the RSF to rescind the directives imposed by its humanitarian agency, NAHA, requiring humanitarian organisations to register their presence or face expulsion. We are continuing to call on the SAF to show restraint and remove all impediments preventing essential supplies and personnel accessing areas of greatest need, such as El Obeid. As the rainy season approaches and needs increase across Sudan, all parties must facilitate safe, unimpeded humanitarian access in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Lab)
I am grateful to the Minister for that Answer. As we are all painfully aware, the conflict in Sudan has created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Atrocities loom in El Obeid as they did in El Fasher and external actors continue to fuel this war. It is appalling that parties to the conflict are imposing increasing restrictions and threatening that vital emergency assistance. Will the Government please redouble their efforts to ensure that aid reaches those in need and maximise efforts to end this war—not least holding to account the external actors enabling this conflict?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
Yes, and I thank my noble friend for putting it quite so strongly. She is right to do so, and she is a long-standing advocate for this cause. It is outrageous that humanitarian agencies are required to register as they are. We are redoubling the amount that we are spending on local agencies—which are able to work in a different way and be more flexible—some of which are not registered as humanitarian bodies and are able to work around this. But it is wrong and should not be happening, and nobody should impede access that is needed to provide humanitarian support and to protect civilians.
Sudan: Protection of Civilians
Debate between Baroness Chapman of Darlington and Baroness Brown of Silvertown
Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Lab)
We all know that part of the problem in Sudan is that what is going on is being funded by outside actors who have their own skin in the game and their own political and economic motivations. Can the Minister assure me that we are using our position to put pressure on those who are funding this outrageous war on the people of Sudan by these generals, and that we are doing everything possible to diminish that funding?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
It is the people of Sudan who are paying the price for this. I can assure the noble Baroness that we use every lever we can to put pressure where it is needed. Anybody who has any influence over either side has a duty and responsibility to use it to bring about a negotiated solution.
Chagos Islands
Debate between Baroness Chapman of Darlington and Baroness Brown of Silvertown(1 year, 5 months ago)
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Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
It is precisely because we need to ensure the legal certainty of the Chagos archipelago and the ability of the base to operate and function fully. That is so important to security, as I am sure the noble Lord agrees, and is not something that our adversaries would wish to see established. This deal strengthens our presence and arrangements in Chagos.
I am aware that the Chaggosians in this country do not, in large part, agree with this deal and, as the noble Lord says, they do not feel an identity or affinity with Mauritius. These things happened during decolonisation, and that is why we find ourselves in our present legal situation. However, it is also true that there are Chaggosians living in Mauritius who take a different view. There is not one view of this deal from the global Chaggosian community.
Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Lab)
My Lords, have our NATO allies commented on this deal?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
We are working very closely with our allies in the United States. Jonathan Powell, our National Security Adviser, is in Washington at the moment working through the deal with the Americans. It is right and understandable for any new Administration to want to know every precise detail of this, because it has a profound impact on security and the stability of the base on Diego Garcia.