Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The limited access environment and ongoing internet and telecommunication disruptions in Sudan means that reporting on the ground is extremely restricted, so making an accurate assessment of the humanitarian situation on Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile regions is difficult. According to UNHCR, an estimated 332,582 people have fled to Blue Nile and 445,338 to South Kordofan since 15 April 2023. The recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) snapshot for Sudan reveals that 755,000 people are in catastrophe levels of food insecurity (IPC 5) in 14 states including South Kordofan and Blue Nile. This is the largest number of people in IPC 4/5 in the world, greater than Gaza, South Sudan, Mali and Afghanistan combined. The UK continues to press the warring parties to concede to unimpeded humanitarian access to allow the provision of, and access to, lifesaving aid in Sudan.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund civil society organisations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile which provide emergency assistance to civilians in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The FCDO provides a range of support to and through Sudanese civil society organisations. This includes providing funding access to CSOs through the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, technical support to advance Localisation in humanitarian action in Sudan, and capacity support to the National NGO Forum. However, we do not earmark this support to particular locations or ask for geographical breakdowns for this kind of support.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 14 March (HL2885), what percentage of aid provided to Nigeria between 2015 and 2024 has been allocated to central states.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The UK remains committed to supporting a more stable, resilient and prosperous Nigeria. The FCDO does not capture HMG Official Development Assistance (ODA) figures on a regional level in Nigeria. Further information relating to UK ODA can be found on the Government's website in the April 2024 publication of Statistics on International Development: provisional UK aid spend 2023.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 12 February (HL1985), what percentage of the UK’s 2023-24 humanitarian aid package to Sudan will support internally displaced persons facing extreme hunger in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile regions of Sudan.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Sudan currently represents the largest displacement crisis in the world, including over 9 million people internally displaced. This financial year, the UK bilateral official development assistance to Sudan will nearly double to £89 million, up from nearly £50 million in 2023/24. We do not hold information specifically on what percentage of the UK's 2023/2024 humanitarian aid package supported Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile regions. However, the lack of humanitarian access across Sudan, including to IDP camps, continues to make it extremely difficult for humanitarian organisations to provide the necessary levels of assistance.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the ‘Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria’ programme will include the Middle Belt in its remit; and if so, which towns and villages it will include.
Answered by Lord Benyon
All of Nigeria's central and northern states are candidates for the Strengthening Peace and Resilience (SPRiNG) in Nigeria programme. This is because all states are either already affected by conflict or at risk of conflict breaking out.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government who are the intended beneficiaries of the ‘Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria’ programme.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Nigerian citizens exposed to conflict or at risk of being exposed to conflict are the intended beneficiaries of the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG). SPRiNG aims to deliver a more stable and peaceful Nigeria in which its citizens benefit from reduced levels of violence.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government who (1) has been, or (2) will be, consulted in central Nigeria regarding the ‘Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria’ programme.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG) has access to a large network of subject matter experts from Nigeria. This includes farmers, pastoralists, politicians, academics and civil society figures. The evidence, research, data and analysis we collect from these experts allows us to understand the local context of the areas SPRiNG is designed to operate in. The FCDO welcomes further collaboration with civil society in Nigeria on the SPRiNG programme.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia regarding the release of imprisoned women activists in that country, particularly (1) Manahel al-Otaibi, and (2) Salma al-Shehab.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We have raised the continued detention of individuals for expressing their political views, including women and women's rights defenders, with the Saudi government. The FCDO is closely monitoring both Manahel al-Otaibi and Salma al-Shehab's cases, and the British Embassy in Riyadh will continue to attempt to attend trials where possible. I, Minister for the Middle East, regularly raise individual freedom of expression cases with the Saudi authorities, including as recently as 31 January with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. Saudi Arabia remains a FCDO human rights priority country, in part due to continued restrictions on freedom of expression.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the humanitarian situation in Abyei, following any conflict-induced internal displacements; and what support they will provide to enable the safe return of any internally displaced persons to their homes.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The influx of refugees and returnees fleeing the conflict in Sudan, inter-communal violence and recurrent flooding has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation in Abyei. We are working with the UN and the humanitarian community in Sudan and South Sudan to address these immense humanitarian needs. De-escalation of violence and a sustained peace is essential to facilitate the safe return of internally displaced people to their homes. We continue to urge both the Governments of South Sudan and the de facto authorities in Sudan to regularise meetings of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and agree joint security mechanisms to improve stability in Abyei until its final status can be agreed.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to implement the UN Security Council’s recommendations in the Secretary-General’s Report on the situation in Abyei.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The UK echoes the UN Secretary-General's encouragement for the African Union to intensify its mediation efforts to help reach a political solution for Abyei. We continue to urge both the Governments of South Sudan and the de facto authorities in Sudan to regularise meetings of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and agree joint security mechanisms to improve stability in Abyei until its final status can be agreed. The UK has expressed alarm in the UN Security Council about the ongoing positioning of the South Sudanese People's Defence Forces in Abyei and have called upon the Government of South Sudan to immediately withdraw its troops in line with its commitments under the 2011 Status of Forces Agreement.