Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to fulfil its role as a penholder on Darfur in the UN Security Council.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We welcome the Security Council's unanimous adoption of UK-drafted Resolution 2429 on 13 July which extended the UN/AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)'s mandate for a further year. As pen-holder for UNAMID in the Security Council, the UK engaged in extensive negotiations to secure an appropriate mandate for UNAMID in light of the evolving context in Darfur, including leading a visit to Darfur in May to get a first-hand perspective of the situation on the ground. The UK is committed to ensuring that the Mission is adequately resourced to fulfil its mandate and fully supports Resolution 2429 strong focus on ensuring a sustainable transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding and preventing a relapse into conflict.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on reports of an attack by the Rapid Support Forces on areas controlled by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North at the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue in Khartoum; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications of that attack for the declaration of unilateral ceasefire by the Government of Sudan.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Reports of fighting between the Government of Sudan and forces belonging to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (Malik Agar faction) emerged after the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue on 24 April. We have discussed the reported clashes with the Sudanese authorities on a number of occasions.
We raised our concerns with the Government of Sudan on 9 May. We reiterated the UK's and the international community's expectation that unilateral cessations of hostilities must be observed by both sides. While presenting his credentials to the President of Sudan on 14 May, our Ambassador addressed the issue of conflict and repeated the importance of observing the unilateral ceasefires, so that negotiations may resume in an environment that is conducive to peace. The UK Defence Attaché raised the issue with the Sudanese Armed Forces on the same date.
We will continue to monitor developments closely and raise our concerns about the violence and its impact with the Sudanese authorities.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on recent attacks by the Government of Sudan in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We are aware of reports of fighting in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur between Government of Sudan troops and armed groups. Information is difficult to verify due to Government restrictions on access to the region. We are urging the Government of Sudan to ensure unfettered access for UNAMID, UN agencies and NGOs in order to corroborate reports and make an assessment of the scale and nature of fighting and its impact on civilians.
We will continue to monitor developments closely and raise our concerns about the violence and its impact with the Sudanese authorities. The British Ambassador raised our concerns with the President of Sudan during the formal presentation of his credentials on 14 May. Our Ambassador reiterated the importance of the unilateral cessations of hostilities, and urged all sides to abide by their pledges so that negotiations may resume in an environment that is conducive to peace.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of detainees who are imprisoned without charge in Darfur.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Government of Sudan does not release statistics on the number of detainees from each state held in its prisons. We continue to urge the Government of Sudan to guarantee the constitutional and human rights of its citizens, including the right to freedom of expression, to political participation, and to due process in the judicial system.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the planned closure of the Kalma refugee camp in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We are not aware of any official plans by the Government of Sudan to close the Kalma camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South Darfur.
When UK officials raised recent media reports with him on 9 May, the Governor of South Darfur, Adam El-Faki stated that while the Government of Sudan wanted to find a sustainable solution for Darfur's IDP population, some of whom has been living in camps for over ten years, it had no current plans to close the camp.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Ghana and (b) the US Administration on the Ghana - US Military Cooperation Agreement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Ghana - US Military Cooperation Agreement is a bilateral matter for the US and Ghana. We have not discussed the agreement in detail with the US Administration nor the Government of Ghana.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the first round of elections held in Sierra Leone on 7 March 2018 were conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK closely followed preparations for the first round of elections held in Sierra Leone on 7 March 2018 and called for all parties to deliver free, fair, inclusive and peaceful elections. We fully supported the EU Election Observation Mission, which deployed 28 long term observers and a further 40 short term observers. We share the conclusions drawn by international and domestic observation missions that the result reflects a robust and credible process.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which (a) public and (b) private bodies are responsible for the (i) assessment and (ii) issuing of licenses for oil exploitation in the Falklands Islands.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Oil exploration in the Falkland Islands is governed by the Falkland Islands Offshore Minerals Ordinance of 1994. Subject to this Ordinance, and with the consent of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the British Government appointed Governor of the Falkland Islands may, on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, grant to any person a licence for the purposes of exploration or production in the controlled waters, or in the sea-bed or subsoil thereof, of the Falkland Islands.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that civil society groups in South Sudan are included in the second round of the High Level Revitalisation Forum taking place in February 2018.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The British Government has repeatedly called for the inclusion of a broad range of actors in the High Level Revitalisation Forum (RVF), including civil society groups. We welcomed the involvement of representatives from South Sudanese civil society in the first round of the RVF in December, and encourage their continued inclusion as the process progresses.
Through our diplomatic engagement, we will continue to make this point at the highest levels, both directly to Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and to all parties to the conflict.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made in finding the British-trained Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, following his disappearance in Bangladesh In 2016.
Answered by Mark Field
I am aware of the case of Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem. It is alleged that Mr Quasem was abducted from his home in Bangladesh in August 2016, and that he remains missing. As Mr Quasem is not a British National we have not raised his specific case with the Bangladesh authorities. Ministers regularly raise our concerns about enforced disappearances and attacks on political freedoms with the Government of Bangladesh.
I did so just recently with the High Commissioner for Bangladesh and Foreign Secretary Haque on 2 November