What do you want us to do?

The Sudanese diaspora groups in the UK are asking the British Government to support the declaration of freedom and democratic change in Sudan which calls for a comprehensive solution to Sudan’s conflicts, economic and political crises through the establishment of a transitional government [1].

Background

Peaceful demonstrations in the major cities across of Sudan since the 19^th of December continue to demand that the current government of Sudan step down and hand over their power peacefully to the people of Sudan, given in view of their poor governance resulting in complete system failure. In response,The Sudan Professionals Association in collaboration with political parties and civil societies announced a declaration of freedom and change on the Independence Day. There is a national approval and support for this declaration because it represents the hope and vision of the people of Sudan towards sustainable development, peace, justice, and democracy [2]

Additional information

Sudanese diaspora groups in U.K. strongly believe that the government of Sudan will not be committed to sustainable development and peace. It is well known for fostering corruption and unstable political plans. Over 30 years of it’s ruling;, it represents a true obstacle for political stability in the region. It has hindered development, immigration control, and the implementation of peace processes.

Moreover, human rights violations continue to occur, and recently sadly more than 37 people have lost their lives while participating in peaceful demonstrations as a result of heavy violence at the hands of the government and the use of live ammunition; hundreds have been arrested, and a few have sustained serious injuries.

The petition puts forward the view that there is strong evidence that supporting the smooth transition to democratic change government in Sudan is the only real solution to ending instability in Sudan. the sensible step forwards, towards fostering the welfare of the the people of Sudan, which will in turn provide sustainable benefit to the United Kingdom.

We thank Dr Amira Ahmed Mohamed for providing the summary
Amira Ahmed Mohamed, PhD Associate Director for Policy and Practice Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies Northeastern University

Dear Honorable...

We address you at this moment while our Sudanese people are risking their lives by conducting massive historical protests in every corner of Sudan against a military dictatorship that has failed for 30 years to govern the country.

We request that you use your good offices to demand that the UK Government cease all political support for and economic cooperation with the Sudanese regime, particularly but not solely on the subject of curbing irregular migration.

We ask that you consider this effort in the context of your obligation to ensure the UK only collaborates with and helps uphold governments that evidently protect human rights and govern democratically.

Today, the Sudanese citizens are being killed, raped and displaced by the war waged for decades by this Sudanese regime as well as citizens impoverished by the cumulative effects of the regime’s disastrous economic policies and pervasive corruption and citizens demanding very basic civic liberties have all united to bring down the fascist and corrupt regime of Omer Elbashir. Most importantly, they are doing this through a united and much better organized opposition. Thus, through these united opposition platform (consisting of political parties, trade and professional unions, youth movements and other protest platforms), the Sudanese people are demanding total and immediate regime change, economic reform, restoration of civic liberties and human rights as well as cessation of all wars.

In response to the peaceful protests throughout Sudan since early December, the regime continues to respond by further restricting civic liberties and human rights; extra-judicial killing over 35 peaceful unarmed protestors by government snipers (including children) and continuing to detain and torture hundreds of peaceful protestors. The regime’s response

to date has also included armed personnel from the notorious security authorities invading our civilian hospital wards and doctors residences in Gedaref and Elobeid cities, beating and detaining doctors as well as using snipers to kill demonstrators. The regime’s head, Elbashir (who, along with dozens of his officials, is indicted by the ICC for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity) also met with police officers in their club on 30^th December and publicly misquoted Islamic scriptures to justify his official instruction to the police to kill demonstrators in a live, televised broadcast.

We speak on behalf of our people as professionals and are confident that you will not refrain from assuring your strongest political support to align the UK’s position with universal principles of freedom, justice and the will of the people. At the same time we are aware of all the reasons why the UK government decided to engage with the Sudanese regime in its efforts, along with the EU to curtain the flow of irregular migrants to Europe. This, we emphasize, cannot be a strategy that should be implemented at any cost. Most importantly, it was a strategy that is no longer necessary for Europe when it comes to Sudan. There is a need for a stronger stance by the UK in the face of continuing atrocities committed by Elbashir’s regime against his own people; atrocities which are ironically one of the main root causes that leads to mass irregular migration to escape the intolerable conditions created by such regimes.

As the EU and its individual countries have continued to engage with the current Sudanese regime to curtail migrant smuggling and human trafficking in lieu with the Khartoum Process; we would like to put between your hands the following facts.

First, the original rationale behind the government’s engagement in the Khartoum Process was ethically-flawed and pragmatically ineffective. Similarly, the Valetta Declaration and other inter-governmental migration management instruments presented the Sudanese regime with a golden opportunity to escape its international and regional isolation and to present itself as a legitimate government. Indeed, the regime did gain some international legitimacy and endorsement despite gross and documented violations of human rights, racism, corruption, terrorism and complicity of the regime officials themselves in organizing and protecting illegal smuggling and trafficking. Additionally, the regime also exploited the funds provided through the EU Trust Fund to boost a deteriorating budget and continue financing their sponsored militias and criminal activities including smuggling and trafficking and in waging wars as well as their use of excessive violence against its own people.

Second, and contrary to what the UK and the EU had imagined in their rationale for working with the Sudanese regime, this regime’s current brutality against its own people these days across all cities of Sudan will by itself result in further waves of migration; regular and irregular and people will continue to flee his recent violence against peaceful demonstrations.

Third, we argue with great credibility that the complete change of the regime and the peaceful transformation to a democratic system will gurantee not only the decreasing of asylum seekers coming from Sudan, but will also encourage many Sudanese diaspora to return and engage in the reconstruction of their country. This is evident historically from the lessons we learned after the April 1985 Popular Uprising that removed the previous Nimeiri dictatorship and even as recently as 2005 following the expansion of the margin of democratic freedoms after signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (or CPA). The evidence for an increasingly united, increasingly organized and increasingly determined opposition can be seen from the events that are taking place as we speak. An orderly transition to democratic rule, complete with its proposed structures, priorities and assurances to neighbouring countries and the international community is now well established. Such a reversal in migrant flows so that Sudanese diaspora begin returning from the UK and Europe rather than escaping to it, must clearly be in the UK’s interests.

We look forward to meeting with you to clarify our petition and, subsequently, to your urgent action to ensure the UK Government does what is right by its own foreign policy instruments and by its obligations to uphold universal human rights.

Thank you

Sudan Doctors Union UK
http://www.sdu.org.uk sdu sdu.org.uk