Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussion she has had with the European Commission's (a) Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department and (b) Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development on responding to humanitarian needs in Burundi.

The UK Government is extremely concerned by the ongoing political unrest in Burundi and its humanitarian consequences, including internally displaced persons and the flow of Burundian refugees to neighbouring countries.

The Secretary of State attended the Foreign Affairs Council for Development on 26 October where it was agreed to launch Article 96 consultation procedures with Burundi. Senior Officials from DFID have raised Burundi with appropriate interlocutors, including in Brussels.