Protesters gathered outside London’s Downing Street on Wednesday to show solidarity with the people of Sudan, as the country’s two-year war enters an increasingly deadly phase.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have seized full control of the Darfur region, including the provincial capital El-Fasher, the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in the west. The fall of El-Fasher has raised fears that Africa’s third-largest nation could once again break apart, nearly 15 years after South Sudan gained independence following decades of conflict.

Demonstrators in London called for stronger international action and urged a boycott of the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of providing weapons and support to the RSF. 

The UAE has denied the allegations.

“The last three days, a lot of people have been killed by RSF militia, by Hemedti’s forces, by Emirati weapons and the world stays silent,” said protester Elhussein Yassin. “They have committed genocide in our country, and we are here to stand with our people.”

Another demonstrator, Ziyad Kashan, described the destruction in Sudan’s major cities. “They burn down houses, entire neighborhoods like Bahri and Khartoum have been completely destroyed. It’s heartbreaking that I can’t go back to my country,” he said.

The conflict for control of Sudan has already claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced over 14 million people, creating what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Both the RSF and the Sudanese army have faced allegations of war crimes and deliberate attacks on civilians.

Faridah Abdulkadiri 

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