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Burundi
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the security situation in each of Burundi's provinces since 1997; what impact the developments have had on the access of aid workers to each region; and if he will make a statement. [134423]
Hilary Benn: The security situation in Burundi remains unstable and fluctuates according to each province. Access for aid workers is severely constrained and both sides have tried to manipulate humanitarian assistance by controlling access.
However, with the recent positive development in Burundi with the signing of the Pretoria Protocol on 8 October on power sharing between the FDD (Nkurunziza) and the Government of Burundi it is hoped that there will eventually be some improvement. We will continue to monitor the situation.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides updated Travel Advice on Burundi on its website. We always recommend reading this before travelling to Burundi.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the peace accord signed in October by the President of Burundi and Pierre Nkurunziza of the Forces for the Defence of Democracy; what his assessment his Department has made of the impact the accord has so far had on (a) internally displaced people and (b) refugees from Burundi in neighbouring countries; and if he will make a statement. [134448]
Hilary Benn: The UK welcomes the signing of the Pretoria Protocol on 8 October between the FDD (Nkurunziza) and the Government of Burundi. This is a positive step towards implementation of the 2 December 2002 ceasefire agreement between the two parties. Further talks to resolve outstanding issues including an implementation timetable, immunity, army integration and registering the FDD as a political party, are due to take place soon. The UK is working with the Government of Burundi and our international partners to ensure momentum is not lost.
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As this accord is part of an on-going peace process, there has as yet been very little tangible effect on internally displaced people and refugees from Burundi in neighbouring countries.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people have (a) been internally displaced in Burundi and (b) became refugees from Burundi in (i) Tanzania and (ii) Rwanda in each year since 1997, what projects aimed at these people his Department has funded; and if he will make a statement. [134449]
Hilary Benn: United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) gives the following figures for the total numbers of Internally Displaced People in Burundi since 1999. We have not been able to establish what proportion have been newly displaced in each year:
- December 1999—808,004
November 2000—524,055
October 2001—632,809
February 2002—475,509
June 2002—487,469
- 1997—6,900
1998—1,400
1999—1,400
2000—1,000
2001—1,700
2002—1,554
2003—1,207
- 1997—459,400
1998—473,800
1999—499,000
2000—438,400
2001—521,200
2002—370,861
2003—353,132
Locusts (North Africa)
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the danger posed to (a) Algerian, (b) Mauritanian, (c) Sudanese, (d) Niger
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and (e) Moroccan crops by the reported increase in migratory desert locusts in North Africa; what impact this has had on (i) food stocks in and (ii) humanitarian aid allocated to the area; and if he will make a statement. [134725]
Hilary Benn: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is monitoring the situation in North Africa closely. On 17 October, they issued an alert regarding desert locust outbreaks in Mauritania, Niger and Sudan. Since then an outbreak has also been reported in Mali. FAO are aware that southern Algeria, southern Morocco and the Red Sea coastal plains could also be at risk in the coming weeks.
FAO are assisting national Governments in the region to respond to the threat through their Emergency Prevention System, which was set up in 1994 to help Governments control locust outbreaks in their early stages. The outbreaks have not yet had any significant impact on crops or food stocks and there has been no call for humanitarian assistance. The UK is in close touch with FAO on the issue and will carefully consider any calls for further assistance.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance he will provide to restart the investigation and trial of those responsible for the November 2002 massacres of civilians in Ankoro, in northern Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [135203]
Hilary Benn: We are providing £700,000 in assistance to the Transition Institutions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which include the President and Vice Presidents, the Parliament, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the Assembly and five Democracy Support Commissions (Elections, Human Rights, Anti-Corruption, Media and Truth and Reconciliation). We are also providing technical support to a European Community-led mission on the justice sector.
These are all part of our effort to help end human rights abuses that have been so prevalent in the DRC for such a long time. We are not providing any specific assistance regarding restarting the investigation and trial of those involved in the November 2002 massacre in Ankoro.
On the humanitarian side, we are providing £420,000 to Action Against Hunger to carry out an Emergency Nutritional Programme in Katanga Province. We are planning to provide funding through the International Rescue Committee for a basic health services programme in five provinces of DRC, including in northern Katanga.
East Africa
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he will take in response to the report of 15 October of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation on expected harvests in East Africa. [133763]
Hilary Benn: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Foodcrops and Shortages report of October 2003 presents a mixed picture of prospects in East
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Africa. In general production is expected to be better than last year. FAO judges, however, that in a number of countries low production is anticipated. This is expected to lead to the requirement for international assistance in the form of food aid.
The FAO reports are an important element in building up a picture of likely humanitarian needs. As one of the largest contributors of humanitarian assistance, including food aid, in Africa, we use the FAO reports, along with other evidence from Government, INGO and UN sources to target our humanitarian response.
ECOWAS
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department will offer (a) funding and (b) other support to ECOWAS in its attempts to establish a small arms unit in Abuja, Nigeria. [135136]
Hilary Benn: DFID recognises that more needs to be done to assist ECOWAS and its member states to combat small arms problems in West Africa. Currently the department is not funding ECOWAS in this area, but it is planning to meet with other donors and with the ECOWAS Secretariat in the forthcoming months to discuss the issue in more detail.
Ethiopia
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the resettlement by the Ethiopian government in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region; and if he will make a statement. [136273]
Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. member for Meriden to the answer that I provided her on 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1009W.
Food Aid Programmes
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy not to use GM products in food aid programmes until further evaluation has been conducted of the long-term effects of GM products (a) throughout the food chain and (b) for direct consumption by humans. [135066]
Hilary Benn: DFID's approach to GM food and developing countries is based on the principle that both the health of people and the environment are of primary concern. Developing countries are entitled to make their own informed choices about whether or not to adopt GM technologies, and to build the capacity to manage their safe development and use. The following principles are therefore employed in relation to UK food aid contributions:
- Recipient governments should be given adequate information on the type of food they receive and its characteristics, including whether genetically modified;
Recipient governments should be allowed to decide on its acceptability; and
Donors should accept the decisions of recipients and accommodate them as far as possible. For example, if milled cereals are preferred rather than whole grain to avoid GM grain being planted as seed then this should be arranged.
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