§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the United Nations on preventing crimes against humanity in Sudan. [176816]
§ Mr. MullinWe are deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Darfur. We are in close contact with the UN and other members of the international community on this matter. Most recently my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development spoke to the UN Secretary-General about Darfur on 9 June. We are calling on all sides to put a stop to the human rights abuses and breaches of international humanitarian law.
We see the deployment of the African Union (AU) ceasefire monitoring team as key to improving the security situation and addressing civilian protection. The UK will contribute one of the six observers requested from the EU, and have already provided £2 million to help the AU team to set up. In addition, the UN is planning to deploy human rights monitors throughout Darfur with UK financial support.