Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made a recent assessment of the impact of violence in Darfur on the Massaleit community.

The ongoing violence and destruction in West Darfur is very troubling. We issued a statement on 25 April, setting out our concerns and the need for the Sudanese authorities to deliver their responsibilities to protect civilians. We underscored the importance of an independent investigation into the violence at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on 27 April and helped to secure a UNSC statement condemning the violence on 29 April. We are in working with the UN to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected and have urged the military to allow humanitarian aid to flow without hindrance. We have raised our concerns over violence in Darfur with the Sudanese authorities, most recently during a visit to Khartoum by the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan on 25-28 June. We will continue to raise these concerns, to press the Sudanese authorities to deliver their obligation to protect civilians, and push for accountability for any crimes committed.

The fragile security situation across Sudan has been exacerbated by the political crisis since the military coup on 25 October. We are therefore pushing all political actors to engage in dialogue and return to a civilian-led government. We are also calling for the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) and progress in wider peace talks.