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 Nigeria who provide emergency assistance to civilians.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK funds civil society organisations to provide assistance to people displaced by conflict and violence across Nigeria, so they have access to food, healthcare and nutrition, and protection and water. Through the UK's Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Programme we have provided over £53 million since 2022 to civil society organisations and the UN to support the humanitarian response in North East Nigeria, and have allocated a further £7.45 million for this financial year. The UK also contributes to the START Fund which provides funding to organisations helping people affected by conflict, flooding and cholera outbreaks, as well as the Red Cross Disaster Response Emergency Fund.
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 impact of violence in Nigeria on (1) international trade and business, and (2) the potential for further division leading to civil war.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
2022 was one of the worst years on record for levels of conflict and political violence deaths in Nigeria. This is detrimental to the country's stability, hinders growth, and deters international trade, business, and investment despite Nigeria's vast economic potential. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are committed to supporting efforts to tackle insecurity and secure a safe and prosperous Nigeria. The UK continues to encourage the Nigerian Government to assist affected communities and implement long-term solutions.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Nigeria (1) to co-operate with local leaders in the deployment of security forces, and (2) to monitor the forces’ activities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting Nigeria tackle rising insecurity through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership. How the Government of Nigeria deploys its security forces and monitors the forces' activities are both matters for the Nigerian Government. However, the UK continues to encourage the Nigerian Government to assist conflict-affected communities. The UK military's engagement with Nigeria's security forces includes an emphasis on the importance of human security and civil-military coordination on operations.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist with the provision of (1) protection for currently displaced people and new waves of displaced people who are without shelter in Darfur, and (2) immediate aid to the new wave of refugees who have recently crossed the border into neighbouring Chad.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is monitoring the situation in Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts within Darfur and Sudan's neighbouring countries. We are working to ensure regional borders remain open and those displaced receive humanitarian assistance. The dramatic increase of violence and destruction in Darfur following the outbreak of hostilities on 15 April is appalling. We are engaging with international partners to put pressure on both sides to protect civilians and grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access. In Chad, the UK has allocated £2.5 million to address the urgent needs of people fleeing violence, such as food, safe drinking water, medical care, and shelter.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur by securing a safe passage of aid from Port Sudan to the affected areas, including food, water, shelter, medicine and other essential supplies.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We recognise the extremely fragile security situation across Darfur even prior to 15 April, and it is clear that this has only worsened since the outbreak of hostilities. The UK's priority is to secure workable humanitarian access, including operational security assurances for humanitarian agencies to help the most at-need and provide life-saving aid. The Minister for Development and Africa announced £21.7 million in May to assist Sudan. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic levers, working notably with the UN, the Quad (Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK and US) and a new African Union-led Core Group, to secure safe access, including from Port Sudan, to affected areas.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 April (HL Deb, col 464), what assessment they have made of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh in international law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's long-standing position has been to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally-recognised borders, which include Nagorno Karabakh. At the same time, the UK Government is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh; we welcome the recent participation of Armenia and Azerbaijan in negotiations to work towards settling all outstanding matters between them, and urge them to build on this momentum.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they are making to the government of Azerbaijan regarding that government’s (1) continuing attempts to resolve the status of Nagorno-Karabakh militarily, and (2) failure to respond to His Majesty's Government's calls to respect international calls for a political solution.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's longstanding position is that there is no military solution to this conflict and that Armenia and Azerbaijan must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable peaceful settlement. The Minister for Europe Leo Docherty underlined this message when he visited Baku in February. We welcome the peace talks that took place recently in Washington and Brussels and will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months.
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 Azerbaijan regarding their imprisonment of prisoners of war and civilians following the ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia concluded in September 2020.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government welcomed the most recent return of prisoners of war in November 2022 and return of remains of the deceased in December 2022. In engagements since 2020 with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan, UK Government representatives, including successive Ministers for Europe, have urged the parties to prioritise the return of all prisoners of war and the remains of the deceased. We will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months to resolve all outstanding issues relating to the conflict.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Sudan to take steps (1) to protect civilians, (2) to ensure the availability of humanitarian aid, and (3) to ensure the provision of adequate supplies for hospitals.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to end the violence and de-escalate tensions. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Development and Africa are in regular touch working with international partners to engage all parties in Sudan. We have led calls with the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, regional groupings and the UN Security Council to discuss the situation and coordinate a response.
In a public statement by the Quad (KSA, UK,US, UAE) and the Trilateral Mechanism (AU, UN and Governmental Authority on Development) we have publicly welcomed the extension of the ceasefire by 72 hours. This initial stage of diplomacy, establishing a process to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities, will help ensure unimpeded humanitarian access.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Sudan (1) to call for a ceasefire in response to the conflicts in that country, and (2) to encourage the conflicting sides to engage in discussions to form a civilian-led government.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to end the violence and de-escalate tensions. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Development and Africa are in regular touch working with international partners to engage all parties in Sudan. We led calls with the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, regional groupings and the UN Security Council to discuss the situation and coordinate a response.
In a public statement by the Quad (KSA, UK, US, UAE) and the Trilateral Mechanism (AU, United Nations and Governmental Authority on Development) we have publicly welcomed the extension of the ceasefire by 72 hours. This initial stage of diplomacy, establishing a process to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities, will contribute to action on the development of a de-escalation plan.