Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on reports of an attack by the Rapid Support Forces on areas controlled by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North at the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue in Khartoum; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications of that attack for the declaration of unilateral ceasefire by the Government of Sudan.
Reports of fighting between the Government of Sudan and forces belonging to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (Malik Agar faction) emerged after the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue on 24 April. We have discussed the reported clashes with the Sudanese authorities on a number of occasions.
We raised our concerns with the Government of Sudan on 9 May. We reiterated the UK's and the international community's expectation that unilateral cessations of hostilities must be observed by both sides. While presenting his credentials to the President of Sudan on 14 May, our Ambassador addressed the issue of conflict and repeated the importance of observing the unilateral ceasefires, so that negotiations may resume in an environment that is conducive to peace. The UK Defence Attaché raised the issue with the Sudanese Armed Forces on the same date.
We will continue to monitor developments closely and raise our concerns about the violence and its impact with the Sudanese authorities.