Over the weekend youth-led grassroots organisations London for Sudan, Cardiff For Sudan, Manchester For Sudan, Midlands For Sudan, and Madaniya organised nationwide demonstrations across the UK titled “Hands Off Sudan: End Western Complicity and Inaction”. It was over UK and US complicity in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis; one that largely gets ignored by the corporate media.
Stop UAE fuelling genocide in Sudan
The marches were a direct response to the the silence, complicity and inaction for the devastating war on civilians in Sudan by regional and international players, such as the UK and US:
People marched through the streets of London, Cardiff, Manchester, and Nottingham:
At one point, the march in London passed MI6’s headquarters:
This youth-led coalition released a statement with a full set of demands for the newly-elected Labour Party. Dedicated to the same mission, they are demanding a civilian-led democracy and liberation by advocating for human rights, justice, and the self-determination of all Sudanese people.
At the marches, Sudanese speakers shared personal stories and highlighted Sudan’s challenges, including ongoing conflicts, disease, targeting of vulnerable groups, instability, and climate crises:
Cultural and motivational presentations inspired attendees to take immediate action to end the war.
You can now get involved too. The groups have designed a template letter you can email to your MP – calling on them to take action over the crisis in Sudan. It can be found here.
Sudan’s crisis: fuelled by the West
For over 570 days, Sudan’s people have endured unimaginable suffering from the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Described as the gravest humanitarian crises of our time, over 14 million have been displaced, 24.8 million require urgent aid, and 25.6 million face acute hunger.
Sudan is now among the top four countries for global acute malnutrition (GAM), a man-made famine, while also grappling with multiple disease outbreaks.
Sudan is being torn apart in a war fuelled by foreign interests in gold, resources, and Red Sea access, with global powers pulling the strings. All internal and external entities must be condemned, including but not limited to the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Russia – all complicit in fuelling this proxy, counter-revolutionary war.
As the Western world stands by in silence, media coverage barely scratches the surface. Sudan’s crisis has received minimal attention, highlighting a troubling imbalance in how conflicts are prioritised. This protest demands an end to the apathy, pushing for urgent media attention and genuine international intervention to address the vested interests of global powers sustaining the conflict.
Sudan is facing an alarming surge in violence In the region of Al-Jazira, over 500 men were killed within 48 hours alone, while more than 130 Sudanese women have been driven to take their lives in mass suicide events to avoid the conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) committed by RSF militia.
UK and US support is allowed to pass unquestioned
The UAE’s documented military support for the RSF has largely escaped scrutiny, while the UK’s role remains overlooked.
Accusations suggest the former Conservative government suppressed criticism of the UAE, with recent reports indicating UK Foreign Office “secret talks” with the RSF, risking the legitimisation of a group responsible for genocide, mass rape, and ethnic cleansing.
As a key global stakeholder, the penholder for Sudan and president of the UN Security Council, the UK has a crucial responsibility to address this crisis.
Yet, the current Labour government’s silence has enabled the UAE’s abuses to continue unnoticed, undermining the UK’s own human rights commitments. Similarly, the US continues to shield the UAE from accountability, recently naming it a major defence partner, thereby allowing unchecked operations in conflict zones.
This deepened alliance with the UAE comes at the cost of countless Sudanese lives.
You can take action by writing to your MP here.
