Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the humanitarian situation in Western Sahara.

The UK is committed to the promotion of respect for International Humanitarian Law worldwide. The UK continues to monitor the humanitarian situation in Western Sahara, and remains concerned about the humanitarian situation facing Sahrawi refugees in the camps in Tindouf, which the UK provides humanitarian assistance to via our contributions to UN bodies such as the World Food Programme. The UK has consistently supported Security Council Resolutions which note "with deep concern the continued hardships faced by Sahrawi refugees and their dependency on external humanitarian assistance, and further noting with deep concern insufficient funding for those living in Tindouf refugee camps and the risks associated with the reduction of food assistance".