Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of recent violence in Leer, South Sudan.

We are aware of the recent incident in Leer and are monitoring the situation carefully. The UK supports the UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on South Sudan which prevents the flow of weapons to armed groups, subsequently reducing the violence and killing of innocent people across the country. At the UN Security Council in March 2023, we expressed concern about the escalation of subnational conflict across South Sudan and called on the South Sudanese authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and end impunity. We continue to urge the Government of South Sudan to implement their Peace Agreement, including completing the unification of forces which is necessary to break the cycle of subnational violence.