{"id":20127015,"date":"2026-01-25T22:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20127015"},"modified":"2026-01-25T23:24:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T22:24:15","slug":"uk-mps-jeremy-corbyn-and-john-mcdonnell-speak-on-sudan-war-at-london-solidarity-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/uk-mps-jeremy-corbyn-and-john-mcdonnell-speak-on-sudan-war-at-london-solidarity-conference","title":{"rendered":"UK MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell speak on Sudan war at solidarity conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Report by Amgad Abdelgadir<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Trade unionists, Sudanese activists, and international campaigners gathered in London on January 17 for the Sudan Solidarity Conference 2026, where speakers demanded an immediate end to Sudan\u2019s war and scrutinised Britain\u2019s role in the conflict. Radio Dabanga journalist Amgad Abdelgadir<\/em> interviewed Jeremy Corbyn MP and John McDonnell MP on the sidelines of the event, organised by MENA Solidarity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grassroots Sudanese organisers, diaspora groups, and UK labour and anti-war activists filled the conference hall. Participants condemned both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), describing a counter-revolutionary war that has devastated the country since April 2023. Speakers said both sides have targeted civilian activists and have long records of serious abuses, including alleged genocide and crimes against humanity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign involvement and the international arms trade<\/a> were major themes at the conference. Campaigners cited reports that British-made military components recovered from former RSF areas are believed to have reached the paramilitary group via the United Arab Emirates<\/a>, raising questions about UK export controls and the risk and whether equipment is ending up in a conflict where the RSF has been widely accused of war crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Britain\u2019s treatment of Sudanese refugees<\/a> also drew criticism. Ginnette Grantshuk of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said the UK operates a \u201ctwo-tier asylum system\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speakers highlighted what they described as a stark disparity between the welcome offered to Ukrainians and the barriers facing people fleeing Sudan, with campaigners saying Sudanese refugees lack safe and legal routes to the UK<\/a> and are often forced into dangerous journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn, Independent MP for Islington North, told Radio Dabanga that Sudan\u2019s war is driven in part by competition over resources and sustained by international arms flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the conference discussed Sudan\u2019s mineral wealth<\/a>, the motives behind the conflict, and the profits made by the global arms industry supplying weapons into Sudan through regional and international actors<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jeremy Corbyn MP is interviewed by Radio Dabanga journalist Amgad Abdelgadir on the sidelines of the Sudan Solidarity Conference 2026, organised by MENA Solidarity in London on January 17, 2026 (Photo: RD \/ Amgad Abdelgadir)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cUltimately, it is the people of Sudan who are suffering,\u201d Corbyn said, adding that \u201cwe make a call there for a ceasefire, for peace, but above all, for the voice of the Sudanese people to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also linked the conflict to global displacement and rising racism in Europe, warning that refugees are increasingly framed as a political problem. \u201cThe reality is that the refugees of the world are created by environmental disaster, by war, by economic inequality and injustice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Britain\u2019s role, Corbyn said the UK should take practical steps to prevent further suffering. \u201cThe least they should be doing is making sure that there\u2019s no arms supplies going to Sudan by the UAE or anybody else,\u201d he said, urging Britain to push for \u201can immediate ceasefire in Sudan to prevent the further loss of life\u201d and to play \u201ca positive role<\/a>\u201d diplomatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corbyn also addressed Sudanese residents in his constituency, saying, \u201cThank you for making your home in our constituency,\u201d and adding, \u201cI\u2019m sorry for the horror stories that you\u2019re going through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rt Hon John McDonnell, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, echoed those concerns and highlighted Britain\u2019s historical and contemporary responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n

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John McDonnell MP speaks to Radio Dabanga journalist Amgad Abdelgadir on the sidelines of the Sudan Solidarity Conference 2026, organised by MENA Solidarity in London on January 17, 2026. (Photo: RD \/ Amgad Abdelgadir)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a lack of awareness in the UK about the humanitarian crisis that\u2019s taking place in Sudan,\u201d he said, adding that the UK must also acknowledge \u201cthe role the UK has played historically as a former colonial power, and more recently through selling arms which are going into the arms of combatants in Sudan.\u201d He warned, \u201cWe are complicit effectively in large-scale war crimes<\/a>\u201d if that role is ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McDonnell urged the UK to use its position at the United Nations to help negotiate peace. \u201cThe UK has a specific role in the UN as a penholder for Sudan,\u201d he said, calling for efforts to \u201cbring people together, negotiate a ceasefire<\/a>, and open the borders<\/a> to allow aid to flow,\u201d noting that \u201c37 million\u201d people are in humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also criticised the lack of safe routes for Sudanese refugees, saying, \u201cThe least we can do is work with other countries to ensure Sudanese refugees have safe and secure routes to the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conference ended with participants agreeing to share its statement, raise Sudan-related issues within trade union branches and workplaces, and continue coordinating advocacy efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Statement and Demands endorsed by delegates and attendees at the Sudan Solidarity Conference 2026, held at the Brady Arts & Community Centre in London on January 17, 2026 (Photo MENA Solidarity)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>