ICAI Commissioner Liz Ditchburn gives evidence to Parliament on Sudan

29 Oct 2025

Liz Ditchburn appeared before the House of Commons International Development Committee yesterday (28 October) as part of a one-off evidence session on the situation in Sudan. 

The Commissioner answered questions from MPs on the findings of the recent Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) report, UK aid to Sudan. Themes of the discussion included whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has devoted enough staff to the crisis response, given that Sudan is a declared government priority.  

The Committee heard that while ICAI’s review found dedicated staff working extremely hard, there were missed opportunities to strengthen the response due to under-resourcing, and recent aid budget volatility had undermined trust in the UK. 

Liz also outlined how the government’s risk appetite and inflexible corporate processes have been a barrier to engaging with local Sudanese organisations, and government should consider how to address this for Sudan and future crises. In addition, she highlighted the devastating impact of the conflict on women and girls and ICAI’s calls for more targeted support. 

Video: Liz Ditchburn at the International Development Committee on 28 October 2025. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Watch the full session on Parliament’s website, which also featured evidence from FCDO Minister for Development Baroness Chapman, and Sudan experts Shayna Lewis and Dr Bashair Ahmed.