Lords questions Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham on the Situation in Sudan
8 March 2012
The House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy took evidence from Henry Bellingham MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office on the situation in Sudan and the EU's role in the country, on Thursday, 8 March.
- Parliament TV: Sudan and South Sudan
- EU Sub-Committee C - Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy
This was a one-off evidence session and followed from the Committees report The EU and Sudan: On the brink of change which was published in June 2011. The Committee asked Mr Bellingham about a number of issues relating to the current situation in Sudan including:
- Whether there is any prospect of progress towards completing the provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which were left unfulfilled when South Sudan became independent in July 2011.
- What challenges there are for security sector reform now that the majority of Government revenues in the South have been lost due to the oil dispute?
- What is the risk of outright conflict between North and South Sudan, what can the EU and the world community do to avert this risk?
- What has happened to the economies of North and South Sudan since the South’s decision to shut off the oil supply to the North? Could this oil be routed through Kenya or Ethiopia?
- How effectively is the EU operating in South Sudan, for example in disbursing development assistance?
- What can the EU do to help build an independent, effective and corruption free judiciary and police service in South Sudan?
- How is the EU working with China to resolve the problems in Sudan?
The evidence session took place on Thursday 8 March in Committee Room 2A of the House of Lords.