Written question asked by Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative) on Tuesday, 6 May 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 8 May 2025. It was answered by Hamish Falconer (Labour) on Wednesday, 14 May 2025 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Morocco: Sahel

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the policies of the Moroccan government on providing aid for (a) security and (b) development to help tackle fragility in the wider Sahel region.

Answer: The UK and Morocco share concern about the security and development issues faced by Sahelian countries. In the Sahel, the UK provided £177 million in bilateral Official Developmental Assistance in the financial year ending in 2025, including £46 million on health, £83 million on humanitarian, and £12 million on promoting stability and conflict prevention. UK embassies and aid programmes in Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania and aid programmes in Burkina Faso promote UK interests and seek to address the root causes of recurrent crises in the Sahel, working with international partners including Morocco. The UK's continued engagement and humanitarian aid helps reduce instability in the Sahel and impact on neighbouring states including Morocco and manage threats to our national security.

Secondary information