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 help mitigate the conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states in the Republic of Sudan.

We condemn the recent violence in the Blue Nile State and South Kordofan. We have met with the Sudanese authorities and urged them to allow unfettered humanitarian access; a message our Ambassador to Sudan reiterated in a tweet on 21 October. On 27 October, the UK along with partners, also secured an Any Other Business (AOB) discussion on the recent violence in the UN Security Council, to highlight the responsibility of the Sudanese authorities to protect civilians. During initial violence in Blue Nile State in July, the UK provided approximately £550,000 in humanitarian support to those affected in the region through our partners, including the multi-donor Sudan Humanitarian Fund. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and press Sudanese authorities to deliver their obligation to protect civilians.