To ask Her Majesty's Government how many internally displaced people they estimate to be living in Darfur; how many Darfuri refugees they estimate to be living in Chad; whether they consider it safe for displaced people and refugees to return to their homes; what are their estimates of food shortages and the potential for famine in the region; whether they consider it would be safe for the United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur to withdraw their peacekeepers from Darfur by 2020; and if so, on what grounds they reached that conclusion.
Answered on
21 September 2018
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that 1.6 million Internally Displaced People are living in Darfur. Over 300,000 Sudanese refugees remain in Chad. The UN estimated in July that the number of people requiring urgent food assistance (in phases 3 and 4 of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system) is expected to rise to 6.2 million. The UK is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
A voluntary programme for the safe and dignified repatriation of Darfuri refugees from Chad, administered by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Governments of Sudan and Chad, is ongoing. Since the programme began in April, around 350 refugees have returned to their places of residence in Darfur.
The security situation has evolved in much of Darfur, and therefore it makes sense that the UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) should also change. The UN Security Council resolution adopted in July this year provides the Mission with a mandate that fits the evolving situation. Nevertheless, while there have been improvements, we recognise that the security situation remains fragile. We therefore continue to support a gradual, conditions-based withdrawal of UNAMID, contingent upon a fully benchmarked exit strategy, to ensure that improvements in the security situation are sustained.