Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to encourage the African Union’s Expanded Mechanism for the Resolution of the Sudan Conflict to take into account the views of (a) Sudanese civil society and (b) the Sudanese diaspora in the UK.

The UK is working with regional and international partners to end the hostilities in Sudan. We continue to push for urgently needed humanitarian access, particularly in Khartoum and Darfur, and to secure a viable peace process. This includes support for the emergence of an all-inclusive civilian and political platform. We support the African Union's role in pushing for a resolution of the conflict in Sudan, including the establishment of an 'Expanded Mechanism' aimed at coordinating the process. It is essential that Sudan's civilians, civil society, women, youth, and Resistance Committees, are all represented in negotiations about their country's future. This is a message that we have highlighted with our Sudanese and international partners. We will continue to stress the need for the people of Sudan, rather than its soldiers, to play the leading role in their country's future, including at any upcoming meetings of the AU-convened 'Core Group' of which the UK is a member.