Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking with international partners to maintain global focus on the Sudan (a) conflict and (b) humanitarian crisis.
I visited Chad in March. I met with the President, Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister to discuss the impact the conflict in Sudan is having on the country and to press Chad to support regional and international efforts to bring about a permanent ceasefire through political dialogue. I also met some of the over 700,000 refugees who have fled Sudan, reaffirmed the UK's commitment to the people of Sudan and announced a near-doubling of UK ODA to Sudan (£89 million). On 15 April, Lord Benyon represented the UK at the Paris Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Sudan. The Conference called upon the warring parties to stop fighting and meaningfully engage in a peace process. On the same day, the Foreign Secretary tweeted calling for a ceasefire. On 8 March, the UN Security Council adopted a UK-drafted Resolution calling for immediate ceasefire.