§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring he is undertaking of the situation in Darfur, Sudan, with particular reference to(a) the number of death sentences recently carried out, (b) women's rights and (c) reform of its judiciary. [105665]
§ Mr. RammellWe are monitoring developments in Darfur and are following the cases of those sentenced to death. In relation to women's rights and judicial reform our focus has not been on Darfur specifically, but we have been in contact with the Government of Sudan about the role and function of the special courts.
Our ambassador to Khartoum has requested permission to travel to Darfur and will do so as soon as possible.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Arab-African conflict in Darfur, Sudan. [105666]
§ Mr. RammellHistorically there have been clashes between tribal groups in Darfur over access to land and water. There are also long-standing claims of insufficient development in the region. Recently the frequency of clashes has increased and Government forces have also become involved.
The British embassy in Khartoum continues to discuss the situation in Darfur with a wide range of Government and National Congress party officials, in addition to Darfur MPs and other local representatives. Our ambassador has requested permission to visit Darfur and will do so as soon as possible.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the aerial bombardment in Rier, Sudan; and what monitoring he is undertaking of use of Antatov bombers, by the Government of Sudan. [105667]
§ Mr. RammellUN Security and the US-led Civilian Protection Monitoring Team are unaware of any recent incidents of aerial bombardment in Sudan.
On 4 February, the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army agreed an addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cessation of hostilities. The addendum aimed to strengthen the MoU which was signed at Machakos on 15 October 2002 and extended on 18 November 2002. It contains many new and welcome initiatives to build confidence between the parties and to make less likely the sorts of outbreaks of fighting which we saw in 906W Western Upper Nile in January. We also welcomed the establishment of the new Verification and Monitoring Team (VMT) and have committed US․ 500,000 to support its important work.