Lord Collins of Highbury, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL2295):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool :
To ask His Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to assist with the restoration of peace in Burkina Faso following recent mass attacks on civilians, including religious minorities, and to identify the role played by Jihadist ideology. (HL2295)
Tabled on: 05 November 2024
Answer:
Lord Collins of Highbury:
The Government has invested in the UK’s capacity to monitor atrocities and instability in Burkina Faso, including mass attacks on civilians committed by violent extremist organisations and other actors. The root causes of violence in Burkina Faso are complex: as well as having a basis in religious extremist ideology, Islamic extremist groups have proliferated in the Sahel region due to contested governance, gender and social exclusion, limited economic opportunity and competition over land and natural resources.
The UK remains committed to funding overseas development aid to address the drivers of conflict and reduce the influence of violent extremist organisations in the region, including through providing over £142 million in bilateral overseas development aid to the Sahel this financial year.
Date and time of answer: 18 Nov 2024 at 12:33.
