§ Lord Eamesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that the growing number of refugees from the Sudan in refugee camps in Uganda justifies further special aid as either direct action by the United Kingdom or through international aid agencies.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)UNHCR estimate there are 230,000–240,000 Sudanese refugees in Uganda. There has been no marked increase in numbers over the past year—and conditions in both long-term and transit camps are relatively good.
Since 1991 the UK has committed over £2 million bilaterally to support NGO programmes to help Sudanese refugees in Uganda. Additional support has also been provided through the EU and UNHCR, to which we are major contributors. We are prepared to help further as urgent needs arise.