Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the security situation in northern Mozambique; and what Official Development Assistance has been provided to that region in each of the last three years, including the proportion spent on the security sector.

We welcome the news that Mozambican, Southern African Development Community and Rwandan Forces have recovered areas of Cabo Delgado, north-east Mozambique, that were previously under insurgent control. There is still work to be done and we look forward to the Government of Mozambique working with international partners to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches affected areas, and reconstruction can take place. We are working with the Government of Mozambique to address the root drivers of conflict and instability, including by providing targeted assistance under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding. The UK is also working to strengthen international cooperation, and co-chairs with Ireland a high-level international taskforce on Cabo Delgado.

The UK has provided over £22 million in aid to Cabo Delgado through UN agencies, ensuring access to food, shelter, water, sanitation and basic health. None of this Official Development Assistance has been spent on the security sector.