New campaign against racism, hate speech launched in Sudan

Political and civil society groups in Sudan have launched a new campaign against racism and hate speech, warning that the growing use of inflammatory rhetoric risks deepening the country’s conflict and accelerating its fragmentation. The campaign, launched on Thursday, evening is backed by a number of organisations, including the Radical Change Alliance and the Darfur Bar Association. Organisers say the initiative aims to strengthen social cohesion and confront what they describe as a dangerous escalation in racist discourse linked to the ongoing war.

In a joint statement, the participating groups warn that hate speech is fuelling divisions, weakening national ties and creating conditions in which separatist projects could gain wider acceptance amid an atmosphere of polarisation and hostility.

The signatories pledge to challenge racist rhetoric through political and media campaigns, while also pursuing legal action inside and outside Sudan against individuals accused of spreading or inciting racial hatred.

They also say they will work collectively to promote coexistence and national unity, defend Sudanese citizens’ right to live in dignity and preserve the territorial integrity of the country through a long-term project aimed at rebuilding the state on the basis of justice and equal citizenship.

The statement argues that confronting racism requires more than moral condemnation. It calls for recognition of abuses committed against different communities and for dismantling the institutional structures that perpetuate discrimination, particularly in education, the media and the legal system.

The memorandum accuses political and military actors of systematically deploying racist rhetoric as part of their conflict strategies. It says such discourse is at times promoted by figures linked to the former regime as well as influential actors in the current political landscape, suggesting that racism is not merely the result of individual excesses but is rooted in structures of power.

The groups argue that racist discourse in Sudan cannot be understood simply as isolated incidents or temporary consequences of war, but as part of a deeper historical structure dating back to the formation of the modern Sudanese state during the colonial era and after independence.

According to the statement, the roots of racism in Sudan are tied to historical practices including the slave trade and colonial administrative policies that reshaped tribal and social structures along discriminatory lines. The groups say successive post-independence governments reproduced these structures through centralised rule, unequal distribution of wealth and power, and the use of ethnic narratives within state institutions.

The memorandum argues that ethnic identity has increasingly become a defining marker of citizenship and belonging in Sudan, contributing to deeper social divisions. It says the current rise in hate speech is being exploited during the war to reshape political and economic power along ethnic and regional lines.

The groups also link the phenomenon to violence and abuses in several regions, particularly Darfur. They say events in cities including El Geneina, El Fasher, and Nyala, alongside the rise in separatist rhetoric, reflect what they describe as the colonial structure of the Sudanese state.

The campaign comes as Sudan’s conflict intensifies and concerns grow over the risk of political and social disintegration, placing the fight against racism at the centre of debates over the country’s future.