Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL8127):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool :
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they have made a joint analysis of conflict and stability assessment with international partners of the situation in Sudan; and if so, how they are acting on the findings. (HL8127)
Tabled on: 25 May 2023
Answer:
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park:
A draft Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) was finalised in March 2023. It was under internal review when violence broke out on 15th April. Whilst many of the findings remain relevant, given the rapidly changing context we are currently focusing on producing shorter, more regular conflict analyses and context trackers. The UK is utilising JACS analyses to support conflict resolution mechanisms and our development and humanitarian programmes to be more conflict sensitive. We continue to work closely with a wide range of NGOs on understanding atrocity prevention, early warning and early response systems.
Date and time of answer: 07 Jun 2023 at 13:44.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL8128):
Question by Lord ALTON of Liverpool
To ask His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan regarding any attacks on churches in Sudan, and especially on the churches and people of the Coptic Orthodox Community. (HL8128)
Tabled on: 25 May 2023
Answer:
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park:
Prior to the outbreak of violence on 15 April, the British Embassy in Khartoum worked with political and civil society actors to monitor, raise issues, and lobby the Sudanese authorities for improvement on freedom of religion and belief in Sudan. Following recent reports of attacks on churches, the UK Government will continue to work closely with international and civil society actors to monitor the situation, and raise our concerns at the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council, noting that access for the international community to monitor human rights abuses is now been severely restricted. The UK funds and provides support to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a crucial UN body for monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We are liaising with the OHCRC as they set up and run their remote monitoring mechanisms.
Date and time of answer: 07 Jun 2023 at 13:24.
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Lord Alton of Liverpool – To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the ceasefire in Sudan is now enabling the distribution of humanitarian aid to displaced people; and what estimate they have made of the numbers of people in need of help.
[HL8037]
The Rt Hon The Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park – The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has worsened dramatically, with the UN estimating that almost 25 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance; a 57 percent increase compared to the estimated needs before the outbreak of hostilities on 15 April. We welcome the 7-day ceasefire agreement, signed by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces on 20 May, following the 11 May Jeddah Declaration. We call on both parties to uphold these agreements, implement the ceasefire and allow essential humanitarian support to reach the people of Sudan. It is too soon to tell whether the ceasefire will translate into an opening up of humanitarian access in Sudan. We will coordinate with the UN and international humanitarian system so they can quickly scale-up delivery there, if and when the access situation improves. On 24 May, the Minister for Development and Africa announced £21.7 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan, following an initial £5 million allocation to assist urgent needs of refugees
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Lord Alton of Liverpool – To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement made by the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, General Hamdan Dagalo, which urged his troops to defeat the national army and win the war.
[HL8038]
The Rt Hon The Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park – Since conflict erupted in Sudan on 15 April, we have pursued all diplomatic avenues to end the violence, de-escalate tensions and secure humanitarian access. This includes at the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, and through cooperation with counterparts from African, Quad (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UK, US) and European countries. We welcome the 7-day ceasefire agreement signed by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces on 20 May, following the 11 May Jeddah Declaration. The UK continues to advocate for a return to a civilian-led government in Sudan. We urge all Sudanese stakeholders to end hostilities and engage urgently in an inclusive dialogue that will deliver the peace and stability that the Sudanese people deserve.
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