§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation and recent actions by the Lord's Resistance Army in Teso, Uganda. [123731]
§ Hilary BennWe are concerned by the impact of the recent LRA attacks. We remain in close contact with agencies operating in this area and in conjunction with them have been carefully monitoring the situation. We have indicated to these agencies our willingness to assist, and are considering a number of requests for humanitarian assistance.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the abduction of children by the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent this from happening. [123724]
§ Hilary BennIt is estimated that over 20,000 children have been abducted by the LRA since the conflict began some 17 years ago. Of these, approximately 8,000 have been abducted in the past 12 months. DFID continues to provide support to UNICEF and other agencies involved in the reintegration of returning abductees and to provide shelter for those displaced by the LRA's activities. We continue to lobby the Ugandan Government to use all means to bring this conflict to a peaceful end and to protect those most vulnerable to LRA attacks.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how many internally displaced people there are in northern Uganda; and how much aid his Department is giving to help them. [123725]
§ Hilary BennIt has been estimated that there are around one million internally displaced people in Uganda. Over the past 12 months, we have allocated £2.5 million towards their needs and will shortly be releasing a further £1 million through the Uganda Red Cross and UNICEF to help with the deteriorating situation in northern Uganda.