§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the security situation in each of Burundi's provinces since 1997; what impact the developments have had on the access of aid workers to each region; and if he will make a statement. [134423]
§ Hilary BennThe security situation in Burundi remains unstable and fluctuates according to each province. Access for aid workers is severely constrained and both sides have tried to manipulate humanitarian assistance by controlling access.
However, with the recent positive development in Burundi with the signing of the Pretoria Protocol on 8 October on power sharing between the FDD (Nkurunziza) and the Government of Burundi it is hoped that there will eventually be some improvement. We will continue to monitor the situation.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides updated Travel Advice on Burundi on its website. We always recommend reading this before travelling to Burundi.
§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the peace accord signed in October by the President of Burundi and Pierre Nkurunziza of the Forces for the Defence of Democracy; what his assessment his Department has made of the impact the accord has so far had on(a) internally displaced people and (b) refugees from Burundi in neighbouring countries; and if he will make a statement. [134448]
§ Hilary BennThe UK welcomes the signing of the Pretoria Protocol on 8 October between the FDD (Nkurunziza) and the Government of Burundi. This is a positive step towards implementation of the 2 December 2002 ceasefire agreement between the two parties. Further talks to resolve outstanding issues including an implementation timetable, immunity, army integration and registering the FDD as a political party, are due to take place soon. The UK is working with the Government of Burundi and our international partners to ensure momentum is not lost.
487WAs this accord is part of an on-going peace process, there has as yet been very little tangible effect on internally displaced people and refugees from Burundi in neighbouring countries.
§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people have(a) been internally displaced in Burundi and (b) became refugees from Burundi in (i) Tanzania and (ii) Rwanda in each year since 1997, what projects aimed at these people his Department has funded; and if he will make a statement. [134449]
§ Hilary BennUnited Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) gives the following figures for the total numbers of Internally Displaced People in Burundi since 1999. We have not been able to establish what proportion have been newly displaced in each year:
- December 1999—808,004
- November 2000—524,055
- October 2001—632,809
- February 2002—475,509
- June 2002—487,469
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UN HCR) gives the following figures for the numbers of Burundi refugees in Rwanda and Tanzania since 1997:
- 1997—6,900
- 1998—1,400
- 1999—1,400
- 2000—1,000
- 2001—1,700
- 2002—1,554
- 2003—1,207
Figures for numbers of refugees in Tanzania are as follows:
- 1997—459,400
- 1998—473,800
- 1999—499,000
- 2000—438,400
- 2001—521,200
- 2002—370,861
- 2003—353,132
Our assistance to internally displaced people and refugees is covered under our humanitarian response to the needs of those most vulnerable. This focuses on health and nutrition support through international relief organisations. So far this financial year we have provided funding of £400,000 through Medecins Sans Frontieres for medical support in Bujumbura Rural and nutrition programmes in Karuzi. We are about to make a contribution of £500,000 to the UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal 2003, and are currently considering further proposals from other international NGOs and agencies.