Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, during Sir Simon McDonald's visit to Sudan on 10 January, he raised with the government of Sudan its refusal to grant humanitarian access to the Two Areas; and if so, what were the outcomes of those discussions.

The Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald, and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development, Sir Mark Lowcock, met with a number of senior government and opposition figures in Khartoum. They urged both sides to capitalise on recent momentum and fully engage in the African Union-led peace process, including by reaching lasting agreements on a full cessation of hostilities and unrestricted humanitarian access. The UK will continue to press both the Sudan Government and the opposition to make progress on these issues.