HL Deb 18 January 1999 vol 596 c85WA
Lord McNair

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the latest estimates of the number of non-Sudanese refugees presently in the Sudan; whether Her Majesty's Government provides, or has provided humanitarian assistance in relation to these refugees; and what the nature of any such assistance has been. [HL483]

Baroness Amos

The most recent estimates of the number of non-Sudanese who are refugees in Sudan is as follows:

Eritreans 315,000
Ethiopians 44,000
Chadians 4,400
DRC 1,000
Others (inc. Ugandans) 9,600
Total 374,000

Her Majesty's Government have provided humanitarian assistance to refugees in Sudan, mainly through NGOs, with projects in education, community development and health. The following table gives a breakdown:

£
NGO 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98
Christian Outreach—Community Development 30,000 30,000 30,000
Christian Outreach—Shagarab Health Project 120,000 35,000 0
International Extension College—Distance Learning 100,000 0 100,000
Ockenden Venture—Community Development 86,760 90,000 0
Ockenden Venture—Primary Education 0 62,290 0
Ockenden Venture—Community Assistance 50,000 92,000 56,797
You and Me Medical Project 34,000 20,000 14,000
Totals 420,760 329,290 200,797

In addition Her Majesty's Government are a major contributor to the UNHCR, whose mandate is to protect refugees and find durable solutions to their problems. UK contributions over the past three years are as follows:

UNHCR
£ million
1995–96 1996–97 1997–98
18.6 7.8 16.1