Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the death toll from violence in Khartoum; and what steps he is taking to negotiate a ceasefire between the Transitional Military Council and the Forces for Freedom and Change.

The UK continues to engage with a range of opposition, members of the protest movement as well as the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and with those leading the negotiations. The UK, alongside Troika partners Norway and the US, has called for all sides to engage in an inclusive dialogue that leads to a swift, orderly and peaceful transition to civilian rule. On 29 May our Ambassador delivered this message to Yassir Arman of Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and encouraged all armed movements to return to Sudan and take part in the talks. We have condemned the way that the opposition leaders have since been treated by the TMC since they returned.

On 4 June in a joint Troika statement, we condemned the recent violent attacks by Sudanese security forces against peaceful protestors in Sudan which left many civilians dead or injured. The death toll has been reported with over 100 people killed that includes 19 children. We also expressed serious concern over TMC's announcement that it would cease negotiations and called for an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government. British Embassy Officials in Khartoum have engaged with all elements of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), encouraging them to be inclusive in their approach and seek a realistic compromise. The TMC have promised the release of political prisoners and employees who observed the strike. Talks between the TMC and FFC have resumed via the mediators.