Sudanese groups in UK unite in condemning assault on activist

Sudanese organisations across the United Kingdom have issued strong condemnations after human-rights activist Mohaned Elnour was assaulted while speaking at a demonstration in Newcastle on November 30. The attack, which left him injured and requiring hospital treatment, has intensified concerns over growing political tensions within Sudanese diaspora communities in Britain.

During his speech, Elnour stated, “Everyone knows the RSF [paramilitary Rapid Support Forces] was created by the army,” a remark that drew an immediate reaction. His criticism of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) sparked chants of “one nation, one army” from parts of the crowd. Some attendees moved onto the stage, surrounding him, while the organisers cut off his microphone.

As he tried to continue speaking, five men closed in on him. They forced him to the ground, where at least five individuals proceeded to punch and kick him.

Sudanese Communist Party

The Sudanese Communist Party –  United Kingdom & Ireland (SCP-UKI) condemned the “brutal assault” and accused “extremist individuals, some affiliated with the so-called ‘The Association of Honourable Sudanese Abroad’” of carrying it out.

The Party said video footage “lays bare the moral and political decline of the war propagandists, directly backed by the Islamic Movement in Sudan, who have consistently promoted hate speech and worked to sow division among Sudanese communities in the diaspora”.

It described the incident as part of a broader trend of “verbal and physical aggressions” in several British cities, adding that the group using the name Honourable Sudanese Abroad “has now become a genuine threat to the safety and wellbeing of Sudanese people in the UK”.

The SCP called on Sudanese political forces and civil society organisations to resist “these barbaric practices” and affirmed its “full support for comrade Mohaned Elnour in pursuing his legal rights”.

Association of Honourable Sudanese Abroad ‘denies responsibility’

The Association of Honourable Sudanese Abroad issued its own statement condemning the violence and distancing itself from those involved.

The group said it “expresses its deep regret and condemnation of the attack suffered by Mr Mohaned Elnour, and affirms its absolute rejection of any form of violence, whether physical or verbal”.

Seeking to “clarify the facts”, the Association emphasised, “the individuals whose name was involved in this incident have nothing to do with the association, having been permanently dismissed earlier as a result of organisational and behavioural violations”.

In their statement, the association said it had “terminated any organisational or political connection” with a faction that had previously been part of the group, explicitly naming “Abubakr Shabo, Ibrahim Makki, Abdul Jalil and others”, who had deviated from the organisation’s civil approach.

The Association reaffirmed that it is “an independent civil body that works in coordination with various Sudanese entities abroad… consolidating the values of peace and mutual respect and renouncing incitement and violence”.

Darfur Links Association

A statement from the Darfur Links Association in the United Kingdom condemned what it called a “cowardly attack” and said it violates “the values of public action and the traditions of the Sudanese diaspora”.

Highlighting Elnour’s institutional role, the group said: “Mr Mohaned Elnour not only represents himself,  but holds an official position as the head of organisations operating in Sudan (Sudan Working Group), which makes the attack on him a direct target for institutional work.”

“We also declare our rejection of the conflict of right and left ideologies that has divided Sudan and deepened divisions”.

The Darfur Links Association urged Sudanese organisations to stand united “against violence, renounce ideological conflict… and counter any attempts to drag our society to the paths of extremism, hatred, or assault those who disagree with opinion”.

SCIC highlights rising threats

The Sudanese Community and Information Centre (SCIC) in London released details of a recent community meeting with the UK Counter-Terrorism Police, held on November 12, in which “issues of incitement to violence, killing and hate speech in the Sudan war in social media in Britain” were discussed.

Community members reported fears stemming from previous incidents, including “blackmail, harassment and bullying by members during a meeting at Chatham House”. 

The SCIC referred to last year’s Chatham House event on October 31, which Radio Dabanga reported on, where protesters confronted former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok as he left, voicing frustration over unfulfilled revolutionary promises.

They hounded individual members of Hamdok’s Tagadom delegation trying to make an exit, with some rowdy protesters being physically restrained by police. Some demonstrators, dressed in army fatigues, chanted the pro SAF slogan “one army, one people,” the same slogan later heard more than a year later when Mohaned Elnour was attacked on stage by a pro SAF mob.

Police officers responded by stressing that “every report treated as an independent case is being carefully studied and investigated”.

Officers emphasised the importance of accurate reporting, proper use of Reference Numbers, and continuous engagement to build trust between police and Sudanese communities.