Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure reported human rights abuses during the conflict in Sudan are properly investigated.
The UK has consistently denounced all human rights violations that have taken place since the military coup on 25 October 2021, and the escalation in incidents since 15 April 2023. The escalation of violence, killing of civilians, sexual assault of women and girls, and restrictions on humanitarian assistance must end. We continue to support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights which is doing crucial investigations in Sudan, and our UN partners who are working with Sudan's Combating Violence Against Women's Unit. The UK is funding organisations who are working with local partners to collect, verify and preserve digital content from the conflict, including incidents of atrocities. This evidence will play a vital role in amplifying the voices of those who are being targeted and will be shared with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Criminal Court to ensure the evidence is preserved and used to hold people to account. We are committed to ensuring that a spotlight remains on the current human rights violations taking place across Sudan, as shown by my statement on atrocities in Sudan on 22 August.