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Sudan

Like other noble Lords who have spoken I, too, deplore the recent bursts of violence that have brought Sudan back into the news. It is a grim reminder that the underlying problems in that country have never been fully resolved, and that sadly, nor is the trouble confined to Darfur. The bubbling tensions between south Sudan and the Government in the north have a history of decades ridden with strife as their backdrop, and I fear that as the country gears up towards the elections in 2010 followed by the referendum on the possible secession of the south the following year, we may hear yet more unfortunate news from that part of the world. The Question posed by the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Salisbury is timely and I thank him for asking it today. The demarcation of the border is likely to continue to be a fraught, difficult exercise and it should not be left until it is too late to have any chance of success. Like other noble Lords, I question how satisfactorily the internal border can be demarcated without the full participation of the Sudanese themselves. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to demarcating the border is continuing disputes, as we have heard, over the rights to the oil reserves. What assessment has the noble Lord made of the recent Global Witness report which argues that the existing rules on the sharing of oil reserves by Khartoum with the south are not being followed? We on this side believe that however imperfect the comprehensive peace agreement of 2005, it remains the best way forward for Sudan, and I support the noble Lord, Lord Luce, in what he said about that. Implementing it will involve much hard work and frustration, and we believe that while the situation remains so fragile, the insecurity of the south Sudanese is harming the development of the area. Despite the boost in oil revenues, the infrastructure there is pitiful and, as we have heard, food shortages are exacerbating the plight of the people—this in a country with great agricultural potential. The United States has refocused its policy towards Sudan to prod the Khartoum Government to make progress on preparing for the elections, for the referendum and for finalising the boundary. There are rewards on offer if the Sudanese Government engage. However, the US has renewed sanctions in order to show that it is serious when it insists that progress must be made. Will the Minister say whether this policy is in accordance with that of Her Majesty’s Government; and has the FCO been working with its US counterparts on the issue? Given the increasing economic input of China into the region, what have the Government been doing to co-ordinate their approach with those of other members of the Security Council and of our European Union partners? Noble Lords will be aware that the presence of the Lord’s Resistance Army in the south has caused considerable disturbance in recent years, and that in the past two weeks it has reportedly attacked Darfur’s citizens for the first time. Will the Minister update the Committee on the presence of the LRA, which threatens to destabilise this already volatile country? We are the second largest bilateral donor to Sudan. What progress can the Minister report on government efforts to seek an agreement with all parties on wealth sharing and citizenship rights ahead of the referendum? With recent developments in a region where—as the noble Baroness, Lady Cox, said—we have a historic responsibility as a special friend, it is crucial that the Government make it clear what their policy is.