Written question asked by Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 July 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 September 2023. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Friday, 8 September 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Sahel and West Africa: Fulani

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with governments in West Africa and the Sahel on the potential impact of (a) security in their country and (b) regional security of incidents potentially involving (i) ethnic targeting of Fulani people for deportations and (ii) other forms of ethnic targeting of Fulani people.

Answer: The UK is committed to building stability and bolstering conflict resolution across West Africa and the Sahel. We regularly raise security issues with governments in the region. For example, in July and August, the Foreign Secretary discussed insecurity with Ghanian Minister for National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah and Nigerian National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. I also have regular discussions with my counterparts in the region. The UK supports a number of regional programmes which are aimed at tackling the root causes of conflict, including combatting the rise of disinformation and ethnically stigmatising narratives. The Fulani community are particularly vulnerable to conflict, and we are in discussion with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) regarding the support provided to Fulani refugees.

Secondary information