Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support pro-democracy groups in Sudan.

Since the military coup in October 2021, Ministers, British Embassy staff in Khartoum and senior FCDO officials have encouraged all Sudanese political actors to engage in dialogue and sought to demonstrate our support for Sudan's transition to democracy. We have also consistently called for an end to arbitrary detentions, the immediate lifting of the State of Emergency and for Sudanese people to be able to protest without fear of violence. The UK also provides support to the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), as the UN mission mandated to support Sudan's transition to democracy. In addition to this, we provide targeted support to non-state actors and civil society groups working towards inclusive political processes.

Working with partners, including the US, Norway, EU, Saudi Arabia and UAE, we will continue to use our diplomatic engagement in Khartoum, the region and elsewhere to support the next phase of talks that the UN and African Union will facilitate. This includes maintaining pressure on the military to engage and deliver the people's demands for freedom, peace and justice; a message delivered on 3 March in meetings with Sudan's military leadership in Khartoum by senior FCDO officials.