Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to assist people affected by drought and extreme hunger in the Nuba mountains region of Sudan.

Through the Department for International Development, the UK is the largest contributor to the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF), providing £16.5 million in 2017. The SHF provides lifesaving food, health, water, and other assistance to internally displaced people and vulnerable communities in Sudan, including Government controlled areas of the Nuba mountains region in South Kordofan.

The UK Government has welcomed the Government of Sudan’s acceptance of the US proposal to provide humanitarian aid to the Two Areas (South Kordofan and Blue Nile). We have continued to urge the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) to immediately agree to the US proposal, in order to enable humanitarian aid to reach those in rebel controlled locations in the Two Areas.

The implementation of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Roadmap Agreement is the only sustainable path to peace in the Two Areas, and we urge all sides to lose no further time in returning to the negotiating table.