Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in conjunction with international partners to address the influence of the ISIS caliphate in northern Mozambique.

The UK is deeply concerned by the deteriorating security situation in northern Mozambique, and the increasing attacks by groups with links to Islamic extremism. On 10 November, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Africa publicly condemned the recent attacks in which over 50 people were beheaded.

We are working with the Government of Mozambique to address the root drivers of conflict and instability in northern Mozambique, including through engagement with the Government of Mozambique's regional development authority in Cabo Delgado, and by providing targeted technical assistance under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding. To date, the UK has provided £14.5 million of support to internally-displaced people in northern Mozambique through the UN and its partners. We also regularly engage with our international partners, including the US, France, Portugal and South Africa, to discuss a shared approach to the situation in Cabo Delgado.