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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of recent reports of (a) attacks on aid convoys in Darfur and (b) aerial bombings by the Sudanese military in Darfur; when he last raised these matters with (i) members and (ii) representatives of the Sudanese Government; and if he will make a statement. [204640] Mr. Mullin: On 12 December, two Save the Children UK (SC(UK)) national staff were tragically killed when a convoy of three clearly marked SC(UK) vehicles was attacked. On 13 December, our Ambassador in Khartoum raised the attack with the State Minister for Foreign Affairs. He also offered our condolences to the Save the Children UK Programme Director in Sudan. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) will be writing to the Head of SC(UK) to express this Government's sympathy. African Union monitors reached the site quickly; initial reports indicate that Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) rebels are responsible for the attack. I understand that SC(UK) has suspended its operations in South Darfur until further notice. On 23 November, our Ambassador in Khartoum raised with the Government of Sudan reports that it had used its air force in response to an SLA attack on Tawilla on 22 November. He made it clear that such attacks violated the Government's commitment in the Abuja Security Protocol to "refrain from hostile military flights in and over Darfur". On 6 December, at a meeting in London with the Humanitarian Affairs Minister, I pressed him on the need for the Government of Sudan to abide by this and other commitments it has made, particularly the Abuja Security Protocol.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

204640; 428 c1400W;428 c1399-400W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Armed forces Armed conflict Bombings Humanitarian aid Staff Violence Sudan Darfur

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk