Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission's report Findings of the investigations conducted by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan into violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and related crimes, committed in the Sudan in the context of the conflict that erupted in mid-April 2023, published on 23 October, documenting the sexual violence committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces during the Sudanese civil war.
In October 2023, the UK led efforts at the UN Human Rights Council to establish the independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to gather and preserve evidence of credible human rights violations and abuses in Sudan. We further lobbied for the FFM's renewal in October 2024. The UK uses its position as penholder at the UN Security Council and as leader of the Sudan Core Group at the Human Rights Council to highlight human rights abuses and to call on both warring parties to adhere to their commitments in the Jeddah Declaration to adhere to international law as well as to their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration to protect civilians. During a UN Security Council meeting on 19 December, we condemned RSF attacks in North Darfur and called on both warring parties to adhere to international humanitarian law. The UK also supports the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and wider UN agencies and efforts to investigate and restrain Conflict-related Sexual Violence (CRSV) cases. We will continue to use findings from the FFM to raise awareness of human rights violations in Sudan.