Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his (a) UN and (b) other international counterparts on taking steps with the Sudanese government to (i) provide travel permissions for international humanitarian relief workers, (ii) provide transport permissions for humanitarian aid and (iii) tackle other bureaucratic barriers to delivering humanitarian aid in east Sudan.

The UK condemns the lack of humanitarian access into and across Sudan, as a result of the actions of the parties to the conflict. Lack of security remains the biggest constraint for international agencies and national NGOs seeking to deliver much-needed life-saving assistance. We continue to raise humanitarian access, including bureaucratic and administrative impediments, with the warring parties, our international partners and in international fora such as the UN.