Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's role in staffing the Regional Operation Centre in support of the Khartoum Process and AU Horn of Africa Initiative, in the light of reports that it shares intelligence with the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services which was involved in the violence in Khartoum on 3 June.

The UK does not have a direct role in staffing the Regional Operations Centre Khartoum (ROCK) project. Between February 2017 and March 2019 the UK funded directly one technical consultant to support the ROCK to reach its initial operating capacity. The UK contributes around 15% of the EU Trust Fund as a standard assessed contribution. That in turn, funds the ROCK, and we are part of the project’s Management Board, which will continue to scrutinise the ROCK’s operations. However, due to recent events in Sudan, EU funded work on the ROCK is suspended.