Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on the sanctioning of (a) Ali Karti and (b) Aviatrade LLC.

We continue to work closely with our international partners in addressing the conflict and dire humanitarian situation in Sudan. Most recently, on 3 November, the Minister for Development and Africa called on Sudan's warring parties to protect civilians, de-escalate fighting in El Fasher, refrain from ethnically-targeted violence, and focus on negotiating an end to the conflict, following a similar statement from the US Government. We remain open to considering further sanctions in continuing efforts to press the parties to engage in a sustained and meaningful peace process, ensure humanitarian access, and commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities. The UK Government does not speculate on future designations; to do so could reduce their impact.