Lords debates current situation in Sudan

On Friday 13 September, members of the House of Lords debated the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Debate

Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour), Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, put forward this debate.

This was a general debate. During debates, members put their experience to good use to discuss current issues and draw the government's attention to concerns.     

Members speaking

Members speaking included:

Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative), former chair of the UK United Nations Association
Baroness Cox (Crossbench), founder of the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust
Baroness Goudie (Labour), advisor at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat), chief executive at the UK Alliance to End Malnutrition and Hunger
Lord Verdirame (Non-affiliated), professor of international law at King's College London.

Opening the debate, Lord Collins of Highbury said:

'What began as a power struggle between military factions has escalated into a protracted war and a humanitarian catastrophe.

'In response to this crisis, the UK has significantly increased its humanitarian support to Sudan. This year we have almost doubled UK official development assistance for Sudan to £97 million, the majority of which is vital humanitarian assistance.'

Baroness Anelay of St Johns said:

'The conflict in Sudan has received just a fraction of the media attention given to Gaza and Ukraine, yet it threatens to be deadlier than either conflict, and it risks undermining security in the whole region.'

Lord Oates said:

'There is much more that the world can and should be doing to address the situation in Sudan and, as the penholder on Sudan in the Security Council, the UK obviously has particular responsibilities in this regard.'