Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, with regard to the Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability: Guidance Note, published in June 2017, when an assessment on Nigeria was last conducted; and what is their assessment of the situation in Nigeria, with particular reference to the treatment of Christians in (1) Northern Nigeria, and (2) the Middle Belt.

The UK Government monitors the conflict trajectory in Nigeria closely. We regularly engage with a wide range of actors, including the Nigerian Government and Non-Governmental Organisations, on developments. Conflict assessments also help us to understand the conflict picture. We have commissioned conflict assessments of North West and North Central Nigeria which will be published shortly. A Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) assessment of North East Nigeria, including reference to the treatment of Christians, was conducted in 2018; a JACS assessment for the Delta was conducted in 2021.

We are concerned about rising insecurity across Nigeria. Insecurity in the North East, where there is an ongoing conflict involving terrorist groups, is driven by Jihadist ideology. These terrorist groups attack those of all faiths who do not subscribe to their extremist views. On the other hand, we assess the root causes of intercommunal violence in the North West and Middle Belt to frequently relate to resource competition and criminality, as well as historical and ongoing inter-communal grievances. The Minister for Africa discussed insecurity with National Security Adviser Monguno last week, during the inaugural dialogue of the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership. At the dialogue, hosted in London, the UK and Nigeria agreed on areas of future cooperation to respond to shared threats, and to support Nigeria to tackle a range of security challenges.