Written question asked by David Leslie Taylor (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 November 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 December 2009. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 December 2009 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the Sudanese government and (b) the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur on the Sudanese government's policies towards UN peacekeeping patrols in the Darfur region in 2009.

Answer: We regularly press the Government of Sudan, the UN African Union hybrid mission to Darfur (UNAMID) and other parties in Darfur to act to improve security there, including by respecting the Status of Forces Agreement with the UN. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for International Development (Mr. Thomas) raised our concerns over security during his visit to Sudan on 14-15 October 2009. We underlined the issues again in the UN Security Council discussions of Darfur on 30 November 2009, and in talks that day in Geneva with the UN, the Government of Sudan and other partners on the humanitarian situation in Darfur.

Secondary information