Sudan actionists send damning letter to David Lammy ahead of London protest

Prominent Sudanese organisations in the UK have come together to write a damning letter to foreign secretary David Lammy over the situation in Sudan.

A coalition of groups gathered under the marker The Sudanese Initiative Against War, and a coalition representing Sudanese doctors, lawyers, and journalists, and many more groups penned the open letter ahead of a planned protest in London on 19 April. More than 14 million people have been displaced since the start of the civil war in Sudan. Some estimates have found that more than 150,000 people have been killed.

On Saturday 19 April, a demonstration will assemble at 1pm to march from Marble Arch to Downing Street.

Sudan summit

The letter raises a number of points the group feel have gone unaddressed by the government. They write:

When discussing solutions to the war and conflicts in Sudan, it is essential to highlight and address the root causes, reflect on previous failed international and regional interventions and take into consideration the local on-ground popular forces and their genuine demand of having a sovereign civil democratic state that is in control of its resources and national economy.

Earlier this week, the British government led an attempt to progress ceasefire negotiations. However, talks soon fell apart as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) failed to reach consensus. As the Guardian reported:

Sudan and others have long accused the UAE of arming the RSF – which it strenuously denies – while Egypt has maintained close ties with the Sudanese army.

And, in fact, the open letter to Lammy expressed concerns at the UAE’s involvement:

we strongly condemn the role played by the United Arab Emirates and its direct involvement in Sudanese affairs through its military and logistical support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and funding their political meetings. We equally condemn Egypt’s government reported involvement in orchestrating the 25th Oct 2021 Coup and ongoing military support to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

As far as the coalition of prominent Sudanese groups is concerned:

Achieving peace must come through ensuring justice and accountability. Those who committed atrocities or participated in funding or physically supported the warring parties must be disempowered and sanctioned. The impunity for actions committed must end now.

Accusations abound

Both Egypt and the UAE have been accused of interference in the Sudanese civil war. The UAE have repeatedly denied the claims:

All allegations of the United Arab Emirates’ involvement in any form of aggression or destabilization in Sudan, or its provision of any military, logistical, financial or political support to any faction in Sudan, are spurious, unfounded, and lack any credible evidence to support them.

However, these denials fly in the face of mounting evidence from the United Nations (UN) and other sources. Just days before the peace summit, the Guardian obtained a leaked report from the UN which contradicted the Arab state’s claims that they’re not supplying arms to fighters in Sudan. The Guardian reported:

an internal report – marked highly confidential and seen by the Guardian – detected “multiple” flights from the UAE in which transport planes made apparently deliberate attempts to avoid detection as they flew into bases in Chad where arms smuggling across the border into Sudan has been monitored.

The allegations raise complications for the British foreign secretary, David Lammy, who controversially invited the UAE alongside 19 other states for Sudan peace talks at Lancaster House on 15 April.

The report demonstrates a “consistent pattern” of weapons originating from the UAE and being sent to Chad. The leak is particularly embarrassing for Lammy who has said:

Many have given up on Sudan – that is wrong – it’s morally wrong… We simply cannot look away.

As the open letter made clear, until Lammy is able to take the UAE to task for their interference in Sudan, talks of ceasefire or peace are doomed. Meanwhile, the RSF’s leader has accused Egypt of being involved in air strikes in Sudan. Egypt have denied the claims, but as the results of the summit show, global interference in Sudan is hampering the ceasefire process.

Engineering peace in Sudan

In the open letter to Lammy, the groups conclude:

We urge the international community to hear the voices of Sudanese civil society, grassroots organisations, women and youth, who have been at the forefront of the revolution to achieve a long-lasting peace rather than short-lived temporary solutions.

Sudan is being torn apart, but until international interference is addressed the conflict cannot be resolved. Meanwhile, it is Sudanese people who continue to suffer unimaginable atrocities while political leaders stall and delay.

The march on 19 April to Downing Street hopes to put pressure on the British government to follow its talk with action and put justice and accountability forwards.

Featured image via the Canary