Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of allegations of internally displaced people in South Darfur being abused by the Rapid Support Forces, including allegations of rape, assault and looting; and what steps they are taking with international partners to provide (1) protection, and (2) collect and preserve evidence to bring charges against any perpetrators.

The UK condemns the continuing violence and suffering being wrought by the warring parties on the people of Sudan, including in Darfur. We welcome the UN Panel of Experts' report and look forward to its final publication. The UK remains committed to ensuring that those responsible for atrocities in Sudan are held to account. As well as the work of the UN Panel of Experts, we continue to support the essential work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court in investigating and documenting reports of atrocities. In addition, on 11 October, the Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution to establish an independent and international Fact-Finding Mission to ensure credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses in Sudan will be investigated impartially. The UK is also funding open-source investigation experts to use satellite imagery and social media to verify and preserve information relating to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.