Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to uphold human rights in Sudan.

In November, the Minister for Africa chaired a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting stressing the urgent need to protect civilians in Sudan and supporting the Secretary General's recommendations on the protection of civilians. The UK co-led a protection of civilians UNSC resolution on Sudan which received unanimous support apart from Russia, who chose to veto it. We continue to explore ways to move forward with an updated Council product that will not be blocked again by Russia. At the UN Human Rights Council in October 2024, the UK led lobbying efforts to secure a mandate extension for the UN Fact-Finding Mission that investigates human rights abuses in Sudan. The UK strongly supports the International Criminal Court's (ICC) active investigation into the situation in Darfur, including allegations of crimes committed since April 2023. This support has included the secondment of expert investigators to support the ICC's work in several countries.