§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if her Department has provided or offered assistance(a) bilaterally and (b) through Operation Lifeline Sudan, to (i) the Government of Sudan, (ii) the rebel movement in Sudan and (iii) non-Governmental organisations active in Sudan, for de-mining projects in Sudan. [71768]
§ Clare ShortWhile a state of civil war continues to exist, we will not offer assistance for de-mining projects in Sudan.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the facilities at Malakal, El-Obeid and Khartoum airports were first offered by the Government of Sudan as air transport centres for Operation Lifeline Sudan humanitarian relief flights; when Sudanese airport facilities started to be used by Operation Lifeline Sudan; for what reasons these internal Sudanese facilities were not used earlier by Operation Lifeline Sudan; and what are the estimated savings to Operation Lifeline Sudan of using El-Obeid and Khartoum airports. [71686]
§ Clare ShortThe Government of Sudan have offered for some years the use of airports in the north of the country for relief flights to the south, but donors have preferred to operate from an independent base in Kenya. Northern Sudanese air strips were used last year for the first time because of the greatly increased need due to the crisis. The difference in cost is not yet known, but a major independent study of Operation Lifeline Sudan, undertaken in 1996, concluded that it would be marginal.
The cost of delivering food by air in Sudan last year was approximately 15 times the World Food Programme's average world wide food delivery cost. Real savings for the relief effort will come from maximising land routes, including rail, for delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable areas of southern Sudan. We are pressing the UN to make progress on this.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the non-Governmental organisations working in Sudan which have received funding from her Department, or its predecessor, over the past eight years; and what the level of funding for each was in those years. [71765]
§ Clare ShortThis information is included in the following table.
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£ NGO expenditure 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–991 Total Aain — — — — 65,584 374,608 33 — — 440,225 ACORD 1,800,000 750,000 290,000 365,000 203,356 71,925 59,531 50,000 50,000 3,639,812 Across — 208,904 — 100,000 — — — — 40,000 348,904 Action Disability and Development 18,612 — — — — — — — — 18,612 Aicf — — — — 250,000 450,000 — — — 700,000 Aktion Afrika Hilfe — — — — — — 50,000 133,961 — 183,961 Amref 39,000 — — — — — — — — 39,000 British Red Cross 1,000,000 184,558 — 289,360 608,179 200,000 — — 250,000 2,532,097 CAFOD 300,000 — 634,976 329,750 1,786,978 — 105,404 — 4,000 3,161,108 CARE 2,998,486 6,365,553 3,305,186 1,997,676 1,724,974 511,327 896,201 1,127.042 716,694 19,643,139 Christian Aid 400,000 2,196,320 554,601 216,666 441,804 — — — 334,330 4,143,721 Christian Outreach 310,000 245,682 175,000 221,000 143,850 150,000 35,000 — — 1,280,532 CONCERN 161,000 344,475 224,244 272,737 — — — — — 1,002,456 GOAL — 21,744 6,909 245,000 322,290 — 75,681 16,433 511,355 1,199,412 Health Unlimited — — 9,515 — — — — — — 9,515 Help the Aged 60,000 60,000 60,000 — — — — — — 180,000 ICRC — 184,558 — — — — — — 1,000,000 1,184,558 IFRC — — — — — — — 315,000 — 315,000 International Extension College 150,000 153,785 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 — 12,097 — 715,882 Islamic Relief — — — — 59,945 59,602 59,125 — — 178,672 Merlin — — — — — — — — 731,418 731,418 MSF — — 62,000 — 447,323 — 589,028 274,172 2,608,775 3,981,298 Ockenden Venture 258,268 145,217 272,172 199,950 118,000 201,050 231,585 68,492 — 1,494,734 Oxfam — — 100,000 10,000 740,854 439,635 183,256 880,801 87,000 2,441,546 Plan International 267,998 44,000 49,500 55,000 — — — — — 416,498 SCF 1,720,799 2,135,414 2,107,767 2,930,062 1,800,265 964,892 1,137,716 1,323,923 636,055 14,756,893 SOS Sahel International 49,210 43,969 27,605 34,579 36,062 17,689 — — — 209,114 Tear Fund — — — — — — 94,408 — 25,540 119,948 Vetaid — — — — — 106,800 198,419 — — 305,219 World Vision — 31,250 — — 50,074 394,090 186,296 72,352 233,393 967,455 You and Me 40,000 32,446 36,800 — 32,700 34,250 20,000 14,000 — 210,196 Total 9,573,373 13,147,875 8,016,275 7,366,780 8,932,238 4,075,868 3,921,683 4,288,273 7,228,560 66,550,925 1 Estimated
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many personnel within Operation Lifeline Sudan directly monitor food aid diversion. [71789]
§ Clare ShortThe World Food Programme has increased the number of food aid monitors to 125 as part of its response to the joint OLS/SRRA/SPLA Task Force Report.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what guidelines have existed for Operation Lifeline Sudan's procurement of food supplies for its emergency food aid programmes; and if Operation Lifeline Sudan is procuring food from within Sudan itself. [71767]
§ Clare ShortOperation Lifeline Sudan itself does not procure food. This is the responsibility of the UN World Food Programme, international agencies and non-governmental organisations operating in Sudan who have a full range of policies and procedures for the procurement of food and related services. Food is purchased from within Sudan when this represents the most cost effective option.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his staff monitor food aid diversion in Sudan. [71799]
§ Clare ShortOperation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) monitors food aid diversions. We regularly raise this and other humanitarian issues with the SPLA both bilaterally and in concert with OLS. It was discussed most recently on 25 January in London with SPLA's UK representatives and on 26 January in Nairobi at a joint OLS/Donor632W meeting with John Garang, leader of the SPLA. At both meetings, assurances were given that action against food aid diversions would be taken.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if she will estimate the amount of food aid misappropriated by combatants in southern Sudan; [71796]
(2) what estimate she has received from Operation Lifeline Sudan of the amount of food aid misappropriated by combatants in southern Sudan. [71797]
§ Clare ShortNo definitive figures are available and the scale of diversions by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and government supported militias vary with location. During November and December, the UN World Food Programme estimated that 3.47 per cent. of food aid delivered was diverted overall. It is suspected that further losses occur after the food has been distributed.
The Task Force report on a mission carried out jointly by Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association (SRRA) and the SPLA in August 1998 identified a number of cases of diversion. Copies of this report are being deposited in the House of Commons Library.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what official reports she has received on food aid diversion in southern Sudan in the past 12 months. [71792]
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§ Clare ShortWe received the report of the OLS/SRRA/SPLA Joint Targeting and Vulnerabilities Task Force in SPLA Controlled Areas of Bahr el Ghazal in August 1998. Copies are being deposited in the House of Commons Library.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effect on the population of the floods in Sudan in 1998, and the effectiveness of the response of the Government of Sudan and the international community to the floods. [71685]
§ Clare ShortMany thousands of people were adversely affected by the floods in Sudan last year. We contributed £250,000 towards the flood relief efforts of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies which were timely and well targeted. We have made no assessment of the response by the Government of Sudan or the rest of the international community.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff within the European Community Humanitarian Office monitor food aid diversion in Sudan. [71800]
§ Clare ShortThree EC staff are involved with the ECHO programme in southern Sudan. Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) is responsible for monitoring food aid diversions.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has received from the European Community Humanitarian Office on the amount of food aid misappropriated by combatants in southern Sudan. [71798]
§ Clare ShortWe have received no such estimates from the European Community Humanitarian Office.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many sites in southern Sudan are currently served by Operation Lifeline Sudan; and how many were so served in(a) January 1998 and (b) January 1997. [71766]
§ Clare ShortIn November/December 1998, the most recent period for which information is available, 103 rebel held areas were served by the UN World Food Programme in southern Sudan. In addition, deliveries were made to Government of Sudan held locations. More detailed information is not readily available.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the amount of British aid to southern Sudan which has been misappropriated in order to purchase weapons and war material. [71790]
§ Clare ShortNo definitive figures are available on the amount of food aid diversions in southern Sudan. It is important that the peace process is pursued vigorously in parallel with humanitarian relief to minimise the danger of such assistance feeding the war economy. We and the international community are supporting the efforts of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (1GAD) to broker a long-term agreement and are pressing both sides of the conflict to undertake serious negotiation towards a lasting and just peace.
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§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list all the agreements and arrangements made to date between Operation Lifeline Sudan and all parties to the conflict in order to facilitate relief operations and humanitarian assistance in affected parts of Sudan. [71684]
§ Clare ShortThis information is not readily available.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the efficiency, transparency and effectiveness of Operation Lifeline Sudan. [71769]
§ Clare ShortOperation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) expanded its response in 1998 in very difficult circumstances as the crisis in southern Sudan unfolded. The UN and donors have learned several lessons from the experience. We are in close touch with the UN to improve the effectiveness of the operation and are working with them.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the work of food aid monitors within Operation Lifeline Sudan; how many monitors are in the field; and where they are based in southern Sudan. [71791]
§ Clare ShortThe role of the World Food Programme (WFP) food monitors is to oversee food distribution. They are effective at ensuring that food aid is allocated fairly at distribution points, but less so in preventing some of the food from being diverted between distribution and its eventual delivery to vulnerable households. Since the recent crisis, we have been pressing for firmer action on diversion. WFP has increased the number of food aid monitors to 125. Monitors shift from location to location, depending where food aid deliveries are to be made.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what discussions she has had on food aid diversion in Sudan with her fellow development Ministers in the European Union; [71793]
(2) what representations she has made on food aid diversion in Sudan at meetings of the Development Council/General Affairs Council in Europe. [71794]
§ Clare ShortDiscussions with development and foreign ministers have focused on the main cause of the suffering in Sudan, the civil war, and on how to work with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the IGAD Partners Forum to achieve a long-term and just peace settlement. Action on food aid diversion needs to be led by the UN System. I have discussed the problem with the appropriate agencies.