Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international partners on the need for civilian protection in Kordofan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statements on Sudan made by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November, and by the Minister of State for International Development and Africa in the House of Lords debate on 27 November. We will provide further updates to the House in due course, including on international efforts to end the fighting, and the progress we are making to reach all the people and regions currently in desperate need of humanitarian support.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the siege of El Obeid on civilians.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statements on Sudan made by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November, and by the Minister of State for International Development and Africa in the House of Lords debate on 27 November. We will provide further updates to the House in due course, including on international efforts to end the fighting, and the progress we are making to reach all the people and regions currently in desperate need of humanitarian support.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with international partners to assess (a) the whereabouts of former residents of El-Fasher and (b) what proportion of those residents (i) remain in the city, (ii) have safely exited the city, (ii) have been executed in the city and (iv) have been (A) executed and (B) detained while attempting to leave the city.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statements on Sudan made by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November, and by the Minister of State for International Development and Africa in the House of Lords debate on 27 November. We will provide further updates to the House in due course, including on international efforts to end the fighting, and the progress we are making to reach all the people and regions currently in desperate need of humanitarian support.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held recent discussions with the Centre for Information Resilience on passing relevant information to other agencies such as the International Criminal Court and the War Crimes unit at the Metropolitan Police.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will continue to ensure that the Centre for Information Resilience is working with all relevant agencies to share information and coordinate fact-finding activities, as set out in the response of 10 June 2025 to Question 56318.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what work her Department is undertaking on atrocity prevention assessments for Sudan, including on Tawila, Kadugli and Bara.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary to the House on 18 November 2025. As the Foreign Secretary said, there is a need for "concerted action to pull the warring parties back from the brink, halt the RSF advances, and ensure a humanitarian truce that is at least long enough to get humanitarian aid in and civilians out."
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the parties to the conflict in Sudan on the operation of checkpoints hindering internally displaced persons’ access to safety (a) between El Fasher and Tawila and (b) elsewhere in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the statement on Sudan made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the conflict in Sudan on children.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan has had a devastating impact on civilians and especially women and children. According to UNICEF, six million children have become displaced and approximately 23 million children are exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation. Conflict Related Sexual Violence is endemic and young girls continue to be targeted. UNICEF also assessed that nearly 90 per cent of Sudan's school age children (17 million out of a total of 19 million children in Sudan) are no longer in school with armed violence cited as the main reason. The UK continues to support children through the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund which provides support to local responders, such as the Emergency Response Rooms, who provide humanitarian assistance across Sudan. We also support UNICEF who are providing lifesaving nutrition programmes to some of the most vulnerable children. We consistently use our position as penholder at the UN Security Council on Sudan to push the warring parties to honour the Jeddah Declaration and uphold humanitarian law and protect civilians. As leader of the Core Group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, we spearheaded the renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission's mandate which investigates human rights abuses and violations across Sudan. Those suspected of targeting, abusing or exploiting children must face justice.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with international aid organisations on the potential impact of the availability of clean water not affected by cholera in conflict-affected areas of Sudan on levels of insecurity for women and girls in that country.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are over 96,700 confirmed cases of cholera across 17 states in Sudan, with the true number likely to be significantly higher. The UK Government is working with international partners - including UNICEF, WHO, SFPA, and UNFPA - to help coordinate an effective response. This includes issuing targeted guidance on managing cholera among vulnerable groups, particularly women, girls, and malnourished children, through the Sudan Free of Female Genital Mutilation 2 (SFFGM2) and Women's Integrated Sexual Health 2 (WISH2) programmes. In addition, we have recently match-funded an extra £3.75 million of Kuwaiti support to UNICEF, supplementing UK resources already allocated to combat the outbreak. We continue to urge the UN to scale up its response and ensure that aid reaches those most in need.