Humanitarian Situation in Sudan Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Ayoub Khan
Main Page: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)Department Debates - View all Ayoub Khan's debates with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
(4 days, 1 hour ago)
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Harpreet Uppal
I agree, and I thank my hon. Friend, both for joining me at that roundtable and for the work that she is doing.
The blackout also hinders access to mobile money, which is used to buy essential goods. That enforced silence not only conceals the scale of the atrocities but actively impedes life-saving support and documentation of abuse. There are many courageous organisations and individuals working with survivors to protect them and to bear witness, but they cannot shoulder the burden alone. The sheer scale of the emergency requires a full humanitarian response.
Ayoub Khan (Birmingham Perry Barr) (Ind)
I thank the hon. Member for securing this debate. It is often the innocent who get caught up in conflicts around the globe. We have heard today about some of the most harrowing offences, especially against women and girls, but also against minority communities and minority faith communities—especially the minority Christian community. We talk about diplomatic levers and how we should all apply political pressure. However, does she agree that we could also do something different—have an international military peace force, which could be deployed to help those residents and citizens?
Harpreet Uppal
I thank the hon. Member for his important point, which I am sure the Minister has heard.
Behind every number, there is a human being: a parent trying to find water for a child; a grandmother who has not eaten for days; a teenager who dreams of going to school but instead hears shellfire. As the rainy season approaches and worsening weather conditions make it increasingly difficult for aid to reach those most in need, the parties to the conflict continue to fight fiercely, heightening insecurity and disrupting critical trade and aid routes.
Hoy da, a member of the Sudanese diaspora community in my constituency of Huddersfield, has spoken of the
“colossal devastation and destruction of all aspects of normality of life in Sudan throughout the last two years”.
Hoy da also says that efforts by authorities to establish normality, and a return for those who have been internally or externally displaced, face severe challenges.