The U.K. government has bowed to pressure to review whether the scrapping of its conflict prevention program in Sudan meant it was “caught off guard” by the outbreak of civil war in April.
At a parliamentary hearing, a minister conceded there had been no evaluation into the impact of winding up work with civil society groups in the country prematurely, as part of steep cuts to the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.
“It was quite frankly shocking that the minister responsible for this key fund seemed unaware of its strategic importance, or the devastating impact the cuts were directly having on global security,” member of Parliament Sarah Champion, the Labour chair of the Commons International Development Committee, told Devex. She described CSSF as instrumental in “preventing escalation of violence in fragile states.”
About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
