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15 Mar 2006 : Column 2380W—continued

Sudan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan to persuade it to co-operate more fully with the AMIS mission. [55396]

Ian Pearson: We regularly press the Government of Sudan to co-operate fully with the African Union Mission in Darfur (AMIS). My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development did so during his recent visit to Khartoum, as did my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, during talks with the Sudanese Foreign Minister in London last month. We will sustain this pressure.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the UK Government are responding to the cholera outbreak in Yei, Southern Sudan; and what support is being provided to the Government of Southern Sudan to address potential disease outbreaks. [57179]

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
 
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DFID has been closely monitoring the cholera outbreak in Southern Sudan since it began in late January. The outbreak started in Yei town in southern Sudan and subsequently spread to Juba and a dozen other towns further east and north. To date (12 March 2006) 212 people have died from the disease from a case load of 6,744. The recent outbreak and its subsequent rapid spread to neighbouring towns underlines the threat of disease while the imminent onset of the rainy season will serve to increase the difficulties faced by vulnerable people.

DFID has been active in supporting the co-ordination of response efforts in the south and in monitoring the situation. The Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit managed by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) together with the World Food Organisation (WHO) have been at the forefront of coordinating the response to the outbreak. DFID has been working closely with OCHA providing technical advice, support and funding.

Through the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) of UNOCHA, DFID has provided over $350,000 to eight UN agencies and non-governmental organisations assisting with the response to the cholera outbreak. An additional $750,000 of FID funds remain with the ERF for continued assistance to agencies if the disease spreads further.

To date, the large number of returns of refugees and Internally Displaced People predicted by the UN and others have still not taken place. There is still potential or significant movement in the run up to the rainy season though this is considered unlikely.

The outbreak of cholera has affected the returns programme. The return programme for up to 4000 people from Juba to Bor has been suspended because of fears of further disease transmission. With DFID support, various agencies are responding to the cholera outbreak at Lologo returnee way-station near Juba and at Bor way-station which currently holds approximately 1000 returnees. Other DFID supported initiatives include health education, containment centres, and water and sanitation initiatives.

In addition to supporting such chronic and rapid onset emergencies, the UK is providing early and significant contributions to the UN 2006 Work Plan, from which the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator has already allocated over $40 million to the South, including an allocation of US$500,000 to the Emergency Response Fund. The UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator additionally holds an emergency reserve of $10 million (to which DFID was a significant contributor) which could be accessed to scale up the response to the outbreak should the need arise.
 
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Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contingency plans are in place if the proposed travel ban and freezing of assets of Sudanese Government, militia and rebel leaders are not adopted by the UN Security Council. [57702]

Ian Pearson: At present our efforts are fully focussed on pressing for swift action by the UN Sudan Sanctions Committee, to impose sanctions against those who violate human rights or impede the peace process in Sudan. We will consider how to proceed in the light of developments in New York.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is Government policy to seek to indict those responsible for human rights abuses in Sudan for referral to the International Criminal Court. [58740]

Ian Pearson: The Government has consistently made clear that those responsible for the terrible crimes committed in Sudan should be brought to justice. The UK strongly supported UN Security Council Resolution 1593 that referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

It is for the ICC to consider the evidence and to make decisions regarding the indictment of specific individuals.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government in (a) Khartoum and (b) Juba about the fulfilment of the International Criminal Court warrants served on the leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army. [58742]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, met with the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Lam Akol, on 3 February 2006. They pressed him to take steps to disarm members of foreign militias and of armed groups, including the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and apprehend individuals subject to arrest warrants of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Our ambassador in Khartoum also stressed the importance of full co-operation with the ICC with regard to warrants served on the LRA, when he met the First Vice President of Sudan and the President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, in a meeting on 20 December 2005.

The Government will continue to support the ICC as it takes forward its investigation, and to maintain pressure on all parties, including the Government of Sudan, to provide full co-operation as requested by the ICC and the UN Security Council.