Written questions by Anderson.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Sudanese Armed Forces on the opening of a humanitarian corridor into El Obeid to allow the delivery of aid and assistance to civilians.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take during the rainy season to help prevent future atrocities in El Obeid.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Rapid Support Forces on their requirement for international NGOs to register in Darfur; and what steps she is taking to he

The Government remains deeply concerned by the recent directives issued by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Humanitarian Agency, that requires humanitarian organisations, including the UN, to register their presence in areas of RSF-control or face expulsion...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Oral Statement of 5 February 2026 on Sudan, Official Report, column 438, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen closer work through local partners in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the comments made by the Foreign Secretary in her article for the Daily Telegraph on 15 April marking the third anniversary of the war in Sudan, where she said:Amid all this horror, another Sudan endures, defined not by violence, but by courage. Across the country, civilians continue to step forward where the state has collapsed, working to keep their communities alive.Local emergency responders travel neighbourhood by neighbourhood, providing food, water and medicine in conditions of danger and deprivation that few could imagine. They are unpaid, unaligned, and often targeted by the warring parties precisely because of the alternative model of life they represent.They are not simply delivering aid. They are preserving the social fabric of their country and showing that Sudan's future does not belong to armed men battling for power, but to citizens committed to dignity and coexistence. They must be recognised as the rightful architects of Sudan's future.That is why we are protecting the UK's humanitarian support to Sudan and doubling our funding to these local responders, helping them to reach nearly two million people. Our aid will support that local leadership, not overshadow it. That is not only more effective; it is how a peaceful Sudan will be rebuilt.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential implications for her policies of the conflict in Sudan being exacerbated by actors in the region and beyond.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her recent visit to the Chad-Sudan border.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the current Middle East conflict on the situation in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her recent visit to the Chad-Sudan border.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what efforts have her department made to engage with local women’s led organisations in support of survivors of violence against women and girls in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her recent visit to the Chad-Sudan border, and to the answer she was provided on 2 March in response to Question 114073.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of her policies of flows of weapons into Sudan, supported by external parties.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her recent visit to the Chad-Sudan border.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of committing the UK to supporting the development of a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.

I refer the Hon Member to the response provided on 4 March 2025 to Question 33140.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure accountability for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the offensive to capture El Fasher in October 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to the speech and accompanying statement made by the Foreign Secretary to the UN Security Council on 19 February, links to which can be found below:www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretarys-statement-on-the-un-fact-finding-mission-report-on-el-fasherwww.gov.uk/government/speeches/let-this-be-the-time-that-the-world-comes-together-to-end-the-cycle-of-bloodshed-in-sudan-uk-statement-at-the-un-security-council.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allocating Official Development Assistance to support the upcoming replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 December 2025 in response to Question 95975.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of UK funding for support of communities in Sudan has gone to local organisations.

UK support to channels which provide direct funding to local responders (including through international organisations) totals £55 million from our total £146 million in aid funding for Sudan this financial year. This includes £28 million to the OCHA-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) - to which the UK is the second largest donor - and over £21 million to the Mercy Corps-led Cash Consortium who provide significant support to local actors. The SHF channels 30 per cent of its funding to local actors. We have also recently launched two new partnerships totalling £6 million, through Proximity to Humanity and the First Response Fund, through which we can channel funding more directly to local responders. Under our new programme, HELP-S, we will continue increasing our support to local actors, with the aim that at least 30 per cent of programme spend goes to local actors by the end of the programme in 2029.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of UK sanctions on Sudanese military actors in stopping conflict in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February. We keep the impact of all our sanctions designations under constant review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her planned timetable is for disbursing the humanitarian assistance package for El Fasher.

In response to the humanitarian crisis in El Fasher, the Foreign Secretary announced on 1 November a £5 million uplift to UK humanitarian support, including £3 million to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund and £2 million to the International Rescue Committee. We also mobilised £23 million in existing UK humanitarian aid to further support the emergency response in North Darfur. In total, the UK has provided £146 million in this financial year.The distribution of our funding is ongoing and we continue to work through a combination of multilateral organisations, international non-governmental organisations, and local responders to ensure that our support reaches those most in need, including people in hard-to-reach areas such as El Fasher, delivering life-saving food and health assistance, as well as support for survivors of sexual violence through partners such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, and Cash Consortium Sudan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty.

Following Royal Assent of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Act (BBNJ), further secondary legislation is required before the BBNJ Agreement can be ratified by the UK. This will happen when the parliamentary timetable allows.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan, Sudan; and what steps she is taking to help protect (a) civilians and (b) access to aid in South Kordofan.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 January in response to Questions 106571-78.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking through the (a) the Quad and (b) other diplomatic routes to help find a cessation to conflict in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 January in response to Questions 106571-78.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of reports of UK arms export licences being linked to the conflict in Sudan; and whether she plans to suspend any UK arms export licences linked to arms use in Sudan, including via intermediaries.

I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025, where these issues were discussed at length.