Southall Black Sisters (SBS) strongly condemns the horrific campaign of violence that is devastating civilians in war-torn Sudan. As a Sudanese woman, I speak on behalf of SBS with both a personal and shared outrage at the brutal violence, torture, forcible displacement, and unimaginable suffering inflicted upon Sudanese communities. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe in which innocent civilians, including women and children, are subjected to unimaginable violence, their homes and markets looted, their farms destroyed, and millions forced into hunger and displacement.
The toll on women and children, is particularly appalling. Out of the estimated 14 million displaced people—an outstanding 30% of Sudan’s population—half are estimated to be women, and over a quarter are estimated to be children under the age of 5. We are horrified by the rampant sexual violence against women and girls as young as 8 and as old as 75, used as a vile weapon of control in the agenda of ethnic cleansing and silencing of resistance. This brutality represents undeniable breaches of international humanitarian and human rights laws, atrocities for which perpetrators must be held accountable.
The international community cannot stand by in silence. As a former colonial power in Sudan, the UK bears a particular historical and moral responsibility. The legacies of imperialism are still felt in the lives of Sudanese communities today. We urge the UK government to treat the demand for a ceasefire in Sudan as an urgent diplomatic priority, to work alongside international partners to ensure safe passage for civilians, guarantee unimpeded access to humanitarian aid, and prevent the supply of arms to those fuelling this conflict.
