§ Sir Alastair GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which countries in 1997–98 governance problems interrupted her Department's programme support. [39186]
§ Clare ShortDuring 1997–1998 development programme support was interrupted in Sierra Leone and Ethiopia.
All aid was suspended to Sierra Leone when the democratically elected government were overthrown in a military coup on 25 May 1997. During the coup period we supported the government in exile to prepare for their return to Freetown; selected refugee programmes for Sierra Leoneans in neighbouring countries; and the humanitarian work of the international committee of the Red Cross in Sierra Leone. Following the return of the democratic government to Freetown, we provided immediate technical and logistical support to assist the re-establishment of the functions of government and further humanitarian assistance.
Following our expression of concern over a policing incident, the Ethiopian government requested that the UK should undertake no new development projects in July 1997. Following constructive discussions between the governments, aid talks with the Ethiopian government were held in March 1998 and it was agreed to consider new development projects.