Towards a Ceasefire and Political Resolution in Sudan

Submitted by: 12 Party Members
Mover: Monica Harding MP (Spokesperson for International Development)
Summation: Lord Purvis (Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords)

Conference notes:

1. The brutal conflict in Sudan is a disaster for innocent Sudanese civilians.
2. Sudan faces a humanitarian crisis: 30 million Sudanese urgently need assistance; over 14 million have been displaced; 7 million are facing acute food insecurity; and there has been horrific sexual violence against women and mass killings.
3. The outcome of the London Summit, held on 15 April, which included a welcome joint commitment of a further £813 million of funding for Sudan and its neighbours in 2025 – though which represents only a drop in the ocean compared with the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.
4. A UK–sponsored motion at the UN Security Council (UNSC) in November 2024 to bring about a ceasefire was shamefully vetoed by Russia.
5. The alleged role of external actors in supplying arms to the warring parties, including Russia, China, Iran, Türkiye, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
6. The illicit trade of Sudan’s gold is funding the war, enriching foreign actors.
7. The Biden Administration's declaration that the Rapid Support Forces have committed genocide in Darfur, and its implementation of sanctions against the Sudanese Government for alleged chemical weapons use.
8. The grievous impact which President Trump’s USAID cuts will have on Sudan’s humanitarian situation.
9. In the absence of a political settlement, the instability in Sudan will only contribute to higher levels of migration, creating additional pressures on the UK.
10. The conflict has received limited coverage in the UK or focus in Parliament, and that the Prime Minister, when asked by Ed Davey MP about Sudan, agreed that he did not think “we discuss it enough in this House”.

Conference believes that:

1. As penholder at the UNSC on Sudan, the UK has a central role to play to ensure that civilians are protected and that this conflict comes to an end.
2. Our ability to make a difference has been undermined by decisions to reduce the international development budget from 0.7% of national income, first by the Conservatives while in Government and then, in February 2025, by a Labour Prime Minister.
3. In the face of competing claims to sovereignty, it is vital not to bestow legitimacy on the warring parties, and a division of Sudan would be a disaster for civilians and should not be entertained as a prospect.
4. The continuing flow of arms into Sudan will only perpetuate the conflict.
5. This conflict has been ignored in the UK and it is up to the Liberal Democrats to ensure that Sudan becomes a diplomatic priority for the Government.

Conference calls on the UK Government to:

1. Use our role as penholder at the UNSC to advance all diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and an agreement on safe zones for civilians.
2. Lead action to set up a Sudan–wide arms embargo to prevent the supply of weapons to the conflict by other countries.
3. Redouble efforts to create a multilateral Contact Group for the crisis.
4. Build consensus amongst international partners to resist attempts to confer legitimacy on the warring parties, and to ensure that those responsible for perpetrating war crimes in the conflict face justice.
5. Affirm that the future governance of Sudan must be under civilian leadership.
6. Raise the public profile of the conflict, including making representations to the Disasters Emergency Committee to start a UK–wide appeal.
7. Work with partners to strengthen due diligence in the global gold trade to crack down on smuggling.
8. Alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan by:
   1. Properly funding the UN Appeal and the regional refugee response.
   2. Reversing the planned ODA budget cuts to 0.3% of national income and providing a timeline for restoring the budget to 0.7%, and using it to fund the UK's response to this crisis.
   3. Providing targeted support for Sudanese children who have been disproportionately impacted and continue to be denied education, health and safety.

Applicability: Federal.

Mover: 5 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see pages 6-7 of the agenda. 

The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 8 September; see pages 9–10 of the agenda. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Tuesday’s Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Monday 22 September; see page 5 of the agenda.

Image: Gregório Cunha/UNMISS