Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a reported increase in violence, including sexual violence, in Darfur; and what steps they are taking to address it.

The humanitarian situation in Sudan is serious, including in Darfur where the UN report that at least 89,000 people have been displaced since October 2021. To help address the situation, the UK contributed £27 million in 2021 to humanitarian assistance in Sudan, which provided approximately 1.2 million people with live-saving assistance such as food, cash and voucher support, safe drinking water, shelter and sanitation.

The ongoing political crisis in Sudan has exacerbated the already fragile security and humanitarian situation across the country. On 28 March we raised our concerns at the UN Security Council, including on the situation in Darfur and increases in levels of sexual violence. Since the coup, Ministers, British Embassy staff in Khartoum and senior FCDO officials have encouraged all Sudanese political actors to engage in the next phase of talks facilitated by the UN and African Union to resolve the crisis. We will continue to maintain pressure on all parties to engage in this process as the best means to begin addressing the root causes of conflict and delivering an inclusive peace for all Sudanese.