§ 10. Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many British missionaries have now been expelled from the Sudan; and what reasons have been given for these expulsions.
§ Mr. MathewSeven have already been expelled and three are preparing to leave. The Sudan Government have stated that they are expelling all foreign missionaries because their activities threaten the integrity and stability of the Sudan.
§ Mr. WallWhile we admire much of the work of General Abboud's Government, will my hon. Friend agree that the persecution going on in the south must strain good relations with Christian Powers? Does my hon. Friend agree that the threats to take action to expel missionaries from the north of the Sudan if representations continue to be made about what is happening in the south cause the worst possible impression?
§ Mr. MathewHer Majesty's Ambassador is in touch with the Sudanese Government on the subject. Everything possible has been done to ensure proper protection for British missionaries. This is a matter for Sudanese domestic law in the first instance. In reply to the last part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, the order originally applied only to missionaries in the three southern provinces, but I understand that it has recently been extended to cover at least one mission outside those provinces, the Sudan Interior Mission in the Blue Nile province. There are no United Kingdom citizens in that mission.