Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) security situation in Mozambique, and (2) the statement by Save The Children, published on 16 March, highlighting atrocities that have occurred in the Cabo Delgado province, including the beheading of children; and what steps they are taking with international partners to prevent Islamic State from gaining influence in (a) Mozambique, and (b) the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UK is deeply concerned by the deteriorating security situation in northern Mozambique, and the increasing attacks by groups with links to Islamist extremism. As the Minister for Africa set out publicly on 17 March, we are appalled by reports of beheadings of children in the Cabo Delgado province. We have been particularly concerned by recent attacks in Palma, which we utterly condemn, and are in close contact with the local authorities in Cabo Delgado. We 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.

We are working with the Governments of Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to address the root drivers of conflict and instability. In Mozambique we are providing targeted assistance under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding and £19m of humanitarian and development support to support those displaced by the conflict. In DRC we are contributing to the UN Peacekeeping Mission MONUSCO (£52m in 2020/21 and the provision of three military staff officers), while our seven-year peace and stability programme is supporting local-level peace building initiatives and helping communities to secure land access, construct critical infrastructure and access income-generation opportunities in the east. We continue to urge the UN and the DRC Government to work closely together to protect civilians from ongoing violence and address the root causes of conflict. The Minister for Africa discussed the importance of addressing these issues with President Tshisekedi during his visit to DRC in November last year and during a telephone call on 10 March.