Sudan: the forgotten humanitarian crisis 

It is not a civil war; it a war against civilians!

The Sudanese civilians are carefully observing the positive steps and initiatives recently taken by the British government and deeply appreciate its efforts. We hold great confidence in your leadership and commitment to humanitarian support and human rights. We thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for bringing the Sudan crisis to the attention of the Security Council last November. Although the proposal was not adopted, the initiative itself holds great significance for the Sudanese diaspora in Britain and civilians in Sudan.

Our hope is that the newly elected British government will actively work, through its institutions and partners, to uphold international humanitarian laws and protect civilians. 

Therefore, we urge a review of the response by relevant United Nations organisations, which are essential partners to the British government in addressing this crisis since April 2034.

Failures by the international community have exacerbated the suffering of civilians, contributing to increased deaths, health crises, and psychological trauma. Following the outbreak of war in Sudan, we were disheartened by the Foreign Minister’s televised response in 2023, indicating that the UK’s involvement would differ from its approach to crises in Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, and Turkey—as though the suffering of Sudanese civilians were of lesser humanitarian importance.

This perspective, coupled with delayed or insufficient responses to our inquiries and demands—whether officially or through meetings with specialists—has deeply concerned us. Furthermore, the termination of duties of Sudan’s Special Envoy during critical times hindered meaningful consultations with civilians, especially those based in the UK. Such engagement could have fostered localised and effective responses.

For instance, medical professionals have expressed frustration over their inability to utilise services from UK-MED, a resource that has supported numerous other disaster-stricken regions. This omission has left Sudanese people feeling marginalised and regarded as inferior.

Additionally, Sudanese doctors, both within the country and abroad, requested that the World Health Organization activate the Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) program and establish field hospitals. Such facilities could have saved countless lives and mitigated severe complications, particularly for displaced populations in relatively secure regions of Sudan.

Despite repeated warnings of impending famine, the humanitarian response has been slow, lacking transparency and sound governance. Civilians in Sudan are facing famine in refugee camps such as Zamzam, alongside acute malnutrition in Khartoum and Al-Gazira states. Starvation is used as another tool for war.

Reports also highlight inadequate support for Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries, revealing vulnerabilities to human trafficking and exploitation e.g. Egypt. Stronger diplomatic engagement by the UK with Sudan’s neighbouring countries could significantly reduce the suffering of these vulnerable populations and ensure their rights particularly children’s education.

Sudanese communities, emergency response teams, mutual aid groups, and the diaspora have mobilised significant resources to confront this unprecedented disaster. However, these efforts alone cannot suffice. We recognise and value the British government’s attempts to secure financial support, stop the fighting, and protect civilians. These positive initiatives inspire us to request investigations into serious failures or deviations from International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by specific humanitarian partners that may have contributed to avoidable adverse outcomes. Delays in humanitarian response is considered a Human Rights Violation at this stage. 

We understand the complexities of the situation in Sudan, both before and after the conflict of 2023, including challenges in accessing certain areas. Nevertheless, we believe there were missed opportunities that could have profoundly improved the lives of Sudanese civilians, especially women and children. We hope the investigation will prevent further delays for Sudanese civilians and ensure equity to recourses.  

The Sudanese people chose peace to overthrow a dictator, leading a historic, non-violent revolution to achieve freedom, peace, and justice. One of their slogans remains:

“People are not only killed by bullets, but also by the silence of others.”

Signatories

Governance Programming Overseas (GPO- UK)

Sudan’s Doctors Union (UK Branch)

Sudan’s Doctors for Human Rights (UK)

Sudanese Lawyers Democratic Front

Sudanese Women Rights Action