PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Darfur: Safety and Security (14 April 2021)

The UN Security Council ended the mandate of UNAMID at the insistence of the Government of Sudan, who asserted that they would assume full responsibility for Protection of Civilians. Recent violence has however exposed weaknesses that urgently need to be addressed. We welcome the Government of Sudan's open engagement on the issue of Geneina intercommunal violence and willingness to acknowledge the security challenges they face. This includes at a UK-requested briefing with the UN Security Council on 14 April, where the Sudanese outlined their commitment to dispatch security forces to the area, to expedite humanitarian assistance, and acknowledged the need to work with the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan to address Protection of Civilian issues.

During a visit to Sudan in April, the UK Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs travelled to Darfur and heard about some of the security challenges first hand; he drew on this in meetings with the Government of Sudan to urge them to prioritise humanitarian access and implement the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) as part of providing Protection of Civilians in Darfur.