§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to seek to end the conflict in Northern Uganda. [157667]
§ Mr. MullinWe deplore the violence perpetrated against innocent civilians by the Lord's Resistance Army in the north of Uganda. We continue to encourage the Ugandan Government to seek a peaceful resolution to this conflict and to take steps to improve prospects for dialogue.
UK support to date has focussed on humanitarian assistance (£8.4 million in the last twelve months); targeted support to reconciliation processes; promotion of human rights, international humanitarian law, and supporting the role of civil society and improving international donor coordination.
We continue to keep in close contact with the Government of Uganda and the international community to see what more we can do to help.
§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to obtain the support of international organisations to address the conflict in Northern Uganda. [157669]
§ Mr. MullinWe are working closely with the international community and organisations to improve donor coordination and support a resolution of the conflict in northern Uganda. The UK was instrumental in the founding of the Donor Technical Group on the North in Kampala and currently holds the position of Deputy Chair of the Group. This is widely seen as the most important co-ordinating forum on donor responses to the conflict and has contributed to the development of agreed approaches and programmes in support of conflict resolution.
§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings his Department has had with the Ugandan Government regarding the conflict in the north of the country. [157670]
§ Mr. MullinWe continue to raise the conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army with the Government of Uganda at official and ministerial level. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I discussed the situation in northern Uganda with President Museveni during his visit to London on 29 January. We urged President Museveni to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict. We encouraged him to take steps to improve prospects for dialogue. Our High Commissioner in Kampala is in constant touch with the Ugandan President about this issue.
§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent the abduction of children in Northern Uganda by the Lord's Resistance Army. [157672]
§ Mr. MullinThe vast majority of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) fighters are the innocent children of civilians, abducted and forced to fight against their will. The degree of violence and the practice of making 999W children a main target of their war is deeply repellent. We are supporting efforts to seek a resolution to this conflict and providing support to rehabilitate children who escape their LRA captors. Over the last year the UK has given £1.3 million to UNICEF and Save the Children Fund for relief activities, and their work to protect children at risk of abduction and to reintegrate child ex-combatants into society.