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<p>We continue to work closely with international partners towards peace in Yemen,
Libya, Sudan and South Sudan, amongst other countries in conflict.</p><p>We fully
support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and the UN Special Envoy's call for
all parties to engage in urgent political talks and de-escalate the conflict in Yemen.
Now that Saudi Arabia have extended their unilateral ceasefire it is more important
than ever that all parties seize this opportunity for progress in Yemen. A permanent
ceasefire and co-operation with the UN-led political process is the best defence we
have against a potentially devastating outbreak of COVID-19.</p><p>We are also deeply
concerned by the continuing fighting in Libya. All the signs are that, despite calls
for a humanitarian truce, hostilities are continuing on all sides. UK leadership helped
secure UN Security Council Resolution 2510, which demands full compliance with the
UN arms embargo and an end to foreign military interference in Libya. We continue
to urge all parties to agree a ceasefire and return to UN-led political talks, which
is the only means of achieving the peace and stability that most Libyans crave.</p><p>We
welcome recent progress made in both Sudan and South Sudan towards resolving their
long-running conflicts. Through our membership of the Troika, we have engaged their
governments and international partners to support their respective peace processes.
At the UN Security Council on 28 April, the UK urged both governments to continue
to focus on building sustainable peace. In South Sudan, conflict between the parties
to the September 2018 Peace Agreement has reduced. In February this year, the formation
of the Transitional Government of National Unity marked a significant step forward
in implementing the deal, bringing opposition leaders into the government. Although
implementation of the Peace Agreement has slowed since the COVID-19 outbreak, we continue
to urge all sides to ensure momentum is maintained. The Minister for Africa reiterated
this point with 1st Vice President Machar on 29 April.</p><p>On Sudan, the UK supports
Prime Minister Hamdok's commitment to secure a sustainable peace agreement to end
conflicts in the county. We welcome initial progress in peace negotiations and agreement
of a cessation of hostilities. We continued to urge all sides to engage constructively
and swiftly to reach a comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement; at the UN Security
Council on 24 April we urged all Sudanese stakeholders to remain fully committed in
the efforts to achieve lasting peace.</p>
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