Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 January (HL Deb, cols 130–2), what assessment they have made of (1) continuing attacks on unarmed civilians in Sudan, (2) the regime’s recent use of live ammunition and tear gas fired at patients and medical staff in a hospital, (3) the proportionality of the regime’s response to protests, and (4) the role of the Sudanese military in the response to the protests.

The UK remains deeply concerned by the level of violence and tactics used by the Government of Sudan in response to peaceful protests, in particular reports of security forces involvement and by the use of lethal force, tear gas and violence within hospitals. Reports indicate that the Police and National Intelligence Security Service have been leading the Sudan Government response; we do not yet know the extent or role of the Sudanese Armed Forces but are monitoring closely. Along with our Troika partners (the USA and Norway) we have called for restraint by the Government of Sudan and continue to urge them at the highest levels to respect the Sudanese people's right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.