We strongly condemn the continuation of the conflict in Sudan and call on the leaders of the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to engage in constructive and peaceful dialogue with the aim of establishing a civilian government.
As the war in Sudan continues, many people have left their homes for other cities, regions and countries. The situation will lead to an increase in the number of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan and many more fleeing other countries, persecution, oppression and forced military service.
We call on the European Union to support those fleeing these conflicts, to allow freedom of movement and to provide assistance to those who find themselves in danger at sea in order to reach a safer place.
By contributing to the militarisation of Sudan, the EU is complicit in this deadly and devastating conflict. The EU's Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) has allocated hundreds of millions of euros to the Khartoum Process, a border externalisation and securitisation project that aims to get African countries to do the 'dirty work' of border brutality. Much of this money has been earmarked for border control, a task assigned to the RSF by the Sudanese government, now one of the warring parties [1].
Together with members of the Sudanese diaspora in Europe who have signed the petition below, we call on Europe and the UK to end the criminalisation of asylum seekers arriving on their shores and to abolish laws that contribute to their deportation or return to the countries from which they fled:
"We call on the EU, European lawmakers and European civil society, including the Red Cross, to end all forms of support for the war in Sudan and to make a concrete commitment to end the conflict immediately. We call for the full implementation of the provisions of the Geneva Convention, including the immediate establishment of humanitarian corridors and safe routes in and out of combat zones".
Read the full petition: 'Urgent call to the European Union, European civil society and policy makers: Stop the war in Sudan and the violence against civilians': https://www.change.org/p/urgent-call-to-the-european-union-european-civil-society-and-policy-makers
Signing organisations:
- Brighton Migrant Solidarity
- Captain Support Network
- Feminist Autonomous Centre for Research
- Global Women Against Deportations
- Iuventa Crew
- Legal Centre Lesvos
- Louise Michel
- Maldusa
- Mediterranea Saving Humans
- Migrant Solidarity Network (Switzerland)
- Ragazzi Baye Fall - Palermo
- Refugee Legal Support
- Refugees in Libya
- Sea Watch
- Sussex Refugee and Migrant Self Support Group
- Swiss Democratic Lawyers
- Watch the Med - Alarm Phone
- HDK (Peoples' Democratic Congress) Migration and Refugees Assembly
- HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) Migrants and Refugees Commission
- Birlikte Yaşamak İstiyoruz İnisiyatifi (We Want to Live Together Initiative)
- Border Violence Monitoring Network
[1] https://www.fmreview.org/externalisation/lumleysapanski-schwarz-valverdecano
