Every year since the First World War came to an end in 1918 at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, it has been a tradition on the Sunday closest to it to commemorate and remember all those lost as a result of conflict and its aftermath. Sudan sadly is no stranger to conflict, and its terrible human costs.
So on Sunday 10 November we held a commemorative service at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Khartoum.
The site was generously donated by the Government of Sudan to bring together the fallen from a number of different burial sites. It is the final resting place of nearly one thousand war dead from many countries. They fell in Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea during the First and Second World Wars and other campaigns.
They include civilians as well as military; Christians, Muslims, Hindus, those of other faiths and of none.
The ceremony was simple and incongruous. The cemetery look beautiful. It is an immaculately maintained garden in the centre of Khartoum, looked after by committed Sudanese staff. Under a glorious morning sun, the last post sounded, a Sudanese military band played and we placed wreaths to symbolise our act of remembrance. Wandering around the grave stones afterwards was sobering: most of those who died were young men barely out of their teens.
The ceremony is not only for those who have fallen in the two World Wars. It is a day we remember all those who have died whilst seeking to end conflict and bring peace. This includes humanitarian and aid workers, diplomats, soldiers, police officers and peacekeepers, of all nationalities and creeds.
In Sudan we remembered in particular the 756 Sudanese army and police casualties from the Second World War. The Sudan Defence Force took part in campaigns in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt and Libya in the service of their country, as part of the allied war effort. Although their names are omitted from the memorial at the request of the Sudanese Government, they are not forgotten and it is hoped that they will, one day, be commemorated on a national war memorial.
This was also the occasion to commemorate those who have died in the service of peace in Darfur, where UNAMID has suffered 173 fatalities since its inception and in Abyei, where UNISFA, has suffered 12.
It is good and right and proper to remember those who have fallen. But conflict continues. Remembering them is also a spur to recommitting ourselves to help to end conflict and violent death in Sudan, as in many places around the world. The British Embassy, and the international community, has a role to play in that. Much of our work is focussed on trying to facilitate and support a Sudanese-led process to create a diverse and tolerant political environment in which political differences can be resolved by non-violent means.
The ceremony on 10 November was a reminder of why it is so important to continue this work.