Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of South Sudan.

I [Minister Mitchell] met South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on 20 September to discuss progress on implementation of South Sudan's Peace Agreement, including provisions for free and fair elections in December 2024. We discussed our efforts to secure peace in Sudan, UK support for education in South Sudan, and our response to the growing humanitarian crisis. I also spoke to the former South Sudanese Foreign Minister on 1 May 2023 and 20 July 2023, and met with the South Sudanese Minister for Presidential Affairs and the Minister for Education on 8 May 2023. The British Ambassador and the UK's Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan also regularly meet with members of the Government of South Sudan and other relevant stakeholders.