Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support accountability for violence committed by (a) Rapid Support Forces and (b) Sudanese Armed Forces against (i) women, (ii) journalists and (iii) human rights defenders in Sudan.

The UK has consistently denounced all human rights violations that have taken place since the military coup on 25 October 2021, and the significant escalation of incidents since 15 April. The UK has funded organisations who are working with local partners to collect, verify and preserve digital content from the conflict, including incidents of significant abuses. This will play a vital role in amplifying voices of those who are being targeted and would be permissible in future accountability mechanisms should they be established. We continue to fund and provide support to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan, a UN body that provides a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We are liaising closely with them as they now set up and run their remote monitoring mechanisms. We will continue to urge for an end the violence in international fora such as the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council, and call for those responsible for human rights violations to be held to account.