Letter from the International Development
Committee to Mrs Barbara Kelly, Head of Africa,Greater Horn and
Co-ordination Department, Department for International Development
I am writing further to your evidence of 24 June
on Sudan. The Committee was most grateful for your account of
the current situation in that country. Going through the transcript,
I have noted three occasions when further information was promised.
The first two, at Qq 12-13, relate to the same issue. In summary,
the question is whether there has ever been an occasion when access
was available (ie permission granted) but no resources went to
the hungry—either because there was no food or because there
were no funds to pay for an aeroplane (be it the plane itself
or fuel, etc). Thirdly, at Q36 you offer to send the Committee
"a list of people whom we deal with". From Oona King's
question, it appears that any chart which clarifies information
flows relating to Sudan would be greatly appreciated.
The Committee has also asked that information be
provided on a further point. In your evidence on 24 June you said
that DFID was first aware of the UN warnings of a severe famine
in December 1997 from the UN's draft Sudan appeal (Q23). In your
evidence on conflict on 9 June you stated: "At the end of
last year in the autumn of last year when we knew things were
looking bleak, yes more money was available from DFID. We were
also pressing at the time for this consolidated appeal to be very
transparent and to be of a much benefit quality than it had ever
been before...So, yes, we noted what was happening and took some
action" (Q103)1. The Committee would be grateful
for clarification of whether DFID heard of the UN famine warnings
before the draft UN appeal in Sudan. It appears that OLS issued
such warnings in October. If DFID did not receive them, the Committee
would be grateful to know why not (were the Ambassador in Khartoum
and High Commissioner in Nairobi not briefed? were the OLS documents
not automatically sent to DFID?).
International Development Committee
9 July 1998
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