Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Special Representative Volker Perthe to take steps to help negotiate a ceasefire that is respected by both parties in Sudan.

We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to end the violence and de-escalate tensions. The Foreign Secretary and I are working with international partners to engage all parties in Sudan. The UK has joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and others in calling for an immediate cessation to the fighting, and we welcome the ceasefire in effect from midnight on 25 April. Statements from across the international community continue to call for an end to hostilities, including a UK-led UN Security Council (UNSC) statement. At the UK's request the UNSC met on the afternoon of 25 April to discuss the situation in Sudan. The Foreign Secretary and I led calls with the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, and regional groupings to discuss the situation and coordinate a response. We continue to explore opportunities to engage with Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces senior leadership.