Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Sudanese Government on the (a) release of civilian leaders, (b) a return to democratic transition and (c) the freedom and safety of civil society.

We strongly condemn the actions of the Sudanese military on 25 October, including to detain Prime Minister Hamdok and members of the civilian government and declare a State of Emergency. The Foreign Secretary made a statement on 5 November calling for the release of all those unlawfully detained and restoration of the civilian-led transitional government, which followed a similar statement made with our Sudan Quad partners (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and US) on 3 November. We expressed our condemnation at a UN Security Council meeting on 26 October, as well as during a Special Session at the UN Human Rights Council we secured on 5 November which also adopted a resolution making clear that Sudan's civilian-led government must be restored, detainees freed, and human rights respected. Our Ambassador to Khartoum and other members of the diplomatic community in Khartoum have met with Prime Minister Hamdok to demonstrate UK support for his release. On 9 November Troika (UK, Norway and US) ambassadors met with General Burhan to urge the military to reverse their actions.

Sudanese civil society played an important role in the 2019 protests and we welcome their continued efforts towards ensuring the success of the transition since the revolution. It is crucial that the prominent role of civil society in Sudan's democratic transition continues. With our international partners we continue to maintain public international pressure on the military to return to the democratic transition in order to deliver the freedom, peace and justice called for by the Sudanese people.