Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to reports that the government of Sudan has reconstituted the Janjaweed militias and that they are operating under its command and control.

The latest report of the UN Secretary General on Darfur states that the Sudanese government's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), that use similar tactics to militia groups previously armed by government known as Janjaweed, have been responsible for widespread abuses against civilians, which include rape, looting and the burning of houses. The report also makes it clear that the armed opposition groups, in particular the Sudanese Liberation Army Minni Minnawi faction, bear heavy responsibility for civilian displacement.

We have made it clear to the Sudanese government in the strongest terms that such behaviour is wholly unacceptable. On 7 April the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), publicly condemned attacks against civilians, and specifically raised the actions of the RSF with Sudanese Foreign Minister Karti on 28 April.