Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Stephen O'Brien and Amber Rudd(12 years, 4 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye) (Con)
3. What recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in the Sahel.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Stephen O'Brien)
The situation is extremely grave. Eighteen million people across the Sahel are at risk of food shortages, and 8 million of them are now in need of immediate assistance. The British people, through the UK Government, have responded swiftly to the crisis, providing aid for over 400,000 people who have been caught up in this disaster.
Amber Rudd
The United Kingdom has been admirable in its support for the region, but with 18 million people vulnerable to the impact of the crisis, which is due to peak in about six weeks’ time, and with further delays to the donor conference, what can the UK Government do now to invest in the region and help those people?