Sudan Democratic Current presses UK lawmaker on ceasefire, Islamist resurgence

September 22, 2026 (LONDON) – Leaders from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-Revolutionary Democratic Current met with a senior British parliamentarian in London on Tuesday to press for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire and warn against the resurgence of Islamists in Sudan’s state institutions.

The delegation, comprising senior figures Yasir Arman and Ali Abdelatif, held talks with Lord Michael Bates, an officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan and a former UK minister of state for international development.

During the meeting, the delegation highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis, the looming risk of famine, and the broader economic collapse triggered by the ongoing conflict.

The SPLM-RDC envoys warned of the growing regional fallout from the war, pointing to its destabilising impact across the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, the Sahel, and migration corridors leading toward the Mediterranean.

The movement also raised alarms over what it described as the return of Islamists to key levers of power and state apparatuses, stressing that the legitimacy of the Sudanese state must be preserved and strictly separated from the warring parties.

Discussions addressed long-term political solutions, with the delegation calling for a unified, professional national army and sustained international backing for an independent fact-finding mechanism to investigate wartime violations.

The delegation urged international partners to support anti-war democratic forces and help foster a credible, inclusive national dialogue to achieve lasting peace.

Consular issues were also tabled, with the Sudanese figures urging the British government to facilitate visas for eligible Sudanese students seeking to continue their higher education in the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates pledged his support through the parliamentary group to ensure the Sudanese conflict receives greater political attention in the UK, according to a statement issued by SPLM-RDC spokesperson Nazar Yousif Eltahir.

The British peer affirmed his commitment to backing an immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities and said he is ready to continue engaging with Sudanese democratic groups working toward peace and stability.