Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage greater and co-ordinated regional political pressure being put on all parties to the conflict in South Sudan to cease fighting and to respect agreements signed to date.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is actively supporting regional efforts, led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to resolve the crisis in South Sudan. We raise the need for continued regional engagement through our Embassies in IGAD capitals, contacts between Ministers and through the UK Special Representative’s engagement in the peace talks
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to seeking a United Nations Security Council-backed arms and ammunition embargo on South Sudan.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is currently working with other Security Council members to secure an effective UN Security Council sanctions resolution for South Sudan.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and other interested parties to include in peace talks in South Sudan representatives of all communities in South Sudan.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have consistently encouraged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to ensure the peace process in South Sudan is inclusive. We have supported events to facilitate wide participation, including the IGAD-led civil society symposium in June. We have also called on the Government of South Sudan to ensure all parties to the talks are represented.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan remains focused on protecting civilians, including preventing sexual violence, and that it has sufficient capacity and resources to fulfil that mandate.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, we regularly engage with partners in New York to ensure that the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has clear tasking and sufficient resource to implement its mandate. We believe UNMISS’s mandate should continue to focus on the protection of civilians, including preventing sexual violence and will press for this during negotiations on the renewal of UNMISS’s mandate that are underway. Our Embassy in Juba also engages regularly with UNMISS’s leadership on these issues.