Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2014-06-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts are being made to ensure that in South Sudan there is full co-operation with investigations into violations of human rights and humanitarian law.

Baroness Warsi

The UK remains deeply concerned by the scale of human rights violations and abuses in South Sudan since the start of the conflict in December. We have consistently stressed to all parties in the conflict the importance of thorough investigation into atrocities and the key role that accountability will play in the reconciliation and peace building process. We welcome the timely reporting of the South Sudan Human Rights Commission and the UN Human Rights division and support the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan in their investigations into the events of the last six months. My Hon Friend, the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds MP), the Minister for Africa, along with senior officials, has emphasised to South Sudanese Ministers the importance of full cooperation with these investigations. We will also pursue, during the 26th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) this month, the creation of a formal HRC mandate to strengthen and enhance efforts in this area.