Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Nigerian counterpart on the risk of famine in (a) north west and (b) north east Nigeria.

Insecurity in North-East and North-West Nigeria has contributed to worsening food security as people are unable to plant, harvest and trade safely. The UK is therefore already providing support to tackle malnutrition in north-east Nigeria through the Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP). HARP reduces mortality and increases resilience for people with the most severe humanitarian needs by (i) addressing food insecurity and malnutrition and (ii) protecting vulnerable people from harm. Through HARP, the UK has funded UNICEF to support the prevention and treatment of malnutrition aiming to reach 500,000 children with life-saving support.