Letter to the British Foreign Secretary and Attendees of the London Conference on Sudan

Letter to the British Foreign Secretary and Attendees of the London Conference on Sudan

Nidal Abdelwahab

To Mr. David Lammy, British Foreign Secretary,

Greetings of peace,

An international conference on the situation in Sudan is being held in your country, in the capital city of London, on April 15th of this year. This date marks the second anniversary of the outbreak of war in Sudan—a war that has targeted our country, its land, and its people. Hundreds of thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and the already fragile infrastructure of our nation has been widely destroyed.

This conflict began as a power struggle between the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia but later expanded to engulf most of the country, nearly escalating into a full-scale, devastating civil war. Many have been drawn into the fighting, particularly after the atrocities committed by both sides—most egregiously by the RSF. These crimes include the deliberate displacement of millions in Khartoum, Al-Jazira, Darfur, and other regions; ethnic cleansing in El Geneina, West Darfur; widespread sexual violence; and the targeting of healthcare facilities, hospitals, places of worship, service centers, and power stations. Additionally, the RSF has imposed a months-long siege on El Fasher in North Darfur, subjecting the city to daily bombardment and civilian casualties, while the army has carried out indiscriminate airstrikes and extrajudicial killings of civilians, resistance committee members, and activists under the pretext of collaboration with the RSF.

Despite numerous efforts within Sudan and internationally, the war persists due to both sides’ insistence on military victory and the regrettable support of external actors who continue to fuel the conflict with weapons, political cover, and silence over their interventions in our sovereign affairs. Sudan has been an independent nation and a UN member state since January 1, 1956, following the end of colonial rule. We are a free people and a sovereign state, a fact recognized globally.

Regarding your current conference and its aim to contribute to ending the war, protecting civilians, and restoring civilian rule, I wish to share our perspective on its three focal points:

1. This conference is unfortunately not the first to address these issues. Previous initiatives—such as the Paris donor conference, African and regional summits, UN Security Council sessions, and talks in Jeddah, Manama, and elsewhere—have failed to halt the war or its atrocities. Humanitarian aid remains insufficient, with millions still facing famine, disease, and preventable deaths due to blocked access to aid, compounded by the deliberate targeting of healthcare facilities by the RSF. Even the efforts of envoys from the U.S., UK, and Switzerland have yet to yield results.

Therefore, if your conference seeks genuine solutions—not merely advancing foreign or regional interests over those of Sudan and its people—we demand the following:

1. Immediate action to stop the war: Halt the flow of weapons to both sides, enforce strict compliance, and end the siege and daily bombardment of El Fasher by the RSF.
2. Deny legitimacy to both warring parties: Reject any attempts to establish parallel governments in Sudan, whether in Darfur or areas controlled by the RSF or army.
3. Resume negotiations to end the war, restore democratic transition and civilian rule, and respect the will of the Sudanese people—free from external impositions of “models” or leaders.
4. Facilitate an inclusive Sudanese dialogue: Support future intra-Sudanese conferences within Sudan, where the people themselves can address their challenges without foreign or regional interference.
5. Uphold Sudan’s unity: Reject any efforts to partition the country. Sudan’s stability and unity are vital for regional and global security, particularly in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa regions.

Finally, we hope your conference succeeds in these aims, paving the way for a future gathering focused on Sudan’s reconstruction—funded by reparations from those who fueled this destruction.

Sincerely,

* Sudanese Citizen and Political Activist within Democratic Civilian Forces.

April 14, 2025

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