Sudan

Baroness Chapman of Darlington Excerpts

Thursday 27th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)]

My Lords, I too start by saying how grateful I am to the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Leeds for tabling this debate. I pay tribute to his long-standing commitment to Sudan and its people. I know that, rightly and characteristically, he wants our focus today to be firmly on the people of Sudan, but I take this opportunity to wish him and his wife Linda a long and happy retirement. It is notable that the Archbishop of Sudan chose to join him at Ripon Cathedral for a recent service. That is testament to his long-standing commitment to and very strong relationship with the people of Sudan.

I note the deep concern from right across the House about the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan, at a time when we must galvanise action to stop the war and end the suffering. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Callanan, for his remarks. He asked me about the diversion of arms. Of course, I commit to keeping this matter closely under review and to reporting back to the House immediately should the situation change. I am happy to speak to the DEC, as the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, suggests. On the issue of creating no-drone zones, I do not know how we would do that, but I am very happy to explore that.

I thank the noble Lords, Lord Rook, Lord Alton, Lord Davies of Brixton and Lord Oates, the noble Baronesses, Lady Anelay, Lady Suttie, Lady Uddin, Lady Bennett, Lady Goudie and Lady Coussins, the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Sentamu, and the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Leicester for their contributions. Everybody spoke with outstanding experience, passion and knowledge.

The noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, asked me about the UNFPA. We are the largest contributor to core funding for the UNFPA, and she asked whether that would change in light of the change in position of some of our partners and allies towards the work that it does. It is more vital than ever that we maintain our commitment to it for the reasons that she so eloquently put forward.

I have not yet read the Rivers of Blood report, but I will. As the noble Lord, Lord Alton, said, we cannot say that we did not know. We now need a way to force the warring parties to stop. As of today, both the leaders in command in Sudan still believe that they can win. I will speak to all the other issues around humanitarian access but, until that changes, I do not think we will see the stable peace or ceasefire that we desperately need.

As many have said, Sudan is facing the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Some 12 million people have fled their homes in the world’s largest displacement crisis; 30 million people are in urgent need of aid, the highest number on record; famine and preventable disease are rampant; and women and children are bearing the brunt of terrible suffering and abhorrent violence.

Following the RSF assault on El Fasher, we have seen horrendous atrocities: mass executions, starvation, rape and reports of detentions, kidnap and killings as people attempt to escape. The threat of further horror looms, as fighting moves towards Tawila and North Kordofan. Preventing further massacres and ending the brutal siege is urgent, as is providing humanitarian relief. The need has never been greater, yet aid remains blocked. The RSF refuses to allow safe passage to humanitarian organisations, while the SAF has introduced new bureaucratic restrictions that will impede relief efforts even more.

Ongoing fighting, devastated infrastructure and crimes against humanitarian workers are compounding all these challenges. As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has rightly underlined, the suffering will only increase without a complete step change to bring about peace. To that end, we are doing all we can to support the efforts of the Quad, as the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. We note the RSF’s announcement on Monday, agreeing to a three-month humanitarian truce. Of course, we welcome any commitment to peace, yet these words must be measured by actions on the ground.

On 14 November, we secured a special session of the UN Human Rights Council, which passed the UK-drafted resolution securing an urgent UN inquiry into reported crimes in El Fasher. This ramps up the pressure on the warring parties to unblock critical aid routes and hold perpetrators to account, but we must do more. Last week, the Foreign Secretary met Tom Fletcher, the UN emergency relief co-ordinator, following his visit to Sudan. He emphasised the need to guarantee safe passage for civilians and humanitarian workers trying desperately to reach people in need, as a matter of urgency. We are doing everything in our power to press for a three-month humanitarian truce that truly stops the violence on the ground and gets life-saving aid in.

Meanwhile, UK aid continues to make a difference on the ground, difficult though that is. Since the beginning of the conflict, our support to Sudan has reached 2.5 million people. Last year alone, we treated over 98,000 children for malnutrition and reached almost 750,000 people with clean water. We got emergency cash assistance to 71,000 people who have suffered appalling violence. But noble Lords will know that this is not enough.

My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will remain a key humanitarian partner in Sudan and that funding to those areas affected by the crisis will be protected for the next three years. The UK will fulfil its duty diplomatically, at the UN and through multilateral processes and bilaterally with our allies and partners, including in contact with the United States and the UAE. Six months ago, the UK convened the London Sudan conference, raising over £800 million. We announced £120 million in new funding to reach over 650,000 people with life-saving assistance this year alone. That is in addition to the £36 million that I announced in May, during my visit to the Chad border to support refugees and the countries hosting them.

Following the assault on El Fasher, we mobilised and refocused £23 million in emergency aid, with the Foreign Secretary announcing a further £5 million on 1 November. Yet no amount of funding can end what is a man-made crisis. Every route, border and crossing must be open and safe. By 2029, we want at least 30% of the UK’s aid for Sudan to be distributed by local responders who provide a lifeline for communities that are hardest to reach.

I want to thank the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sudan and South Sudan for inviting me to join it this week. Together, we thanked the delegation from the Sudanese Emergency Response Rooms. As several noble Lords have said, they are an incredibly effective and impressive organisation and it is right that they are receiving the 2025 Chatham House Prize for their life-saving work in unimaginably challenging circumstances. However, they do not just want thanks; they want peace.

Lastly, I make one personal reflection on this desperate crisis that shocks, saddens and shames us every day that it continues. I mentioned my visit to the remote town of Adré, on the border in eastern Chad. In the refugee camp, as well as talking to aid workers, I met women who had fled for their lives. In my conversations with them—one a trainee doctor, another a qualified psychologist, forced to flee their homes and living in tents on the border—it was clear that all they wanted was their old lives back, their jobs and families, a future for their children, their safety and their independence. We must never lose sight of that. Support for the people of Sudan will remain a priority for this Government, as I know it does for the whole House.