CSW’s Sudan Specialist Mohaned Elnour was physically assaulted whilst speaking at a demonstration in Newcastle, UK, which was organised to protest atrocities being committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur and the continued support provided to the RSF by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Mr Elnour, who is also the volunteer Chair of the UK Sudan Advocacy Working Group, attended the demonstration, which was organised by the Darfur Associations in the UK in co-operation with a group known as ‘The Coalition of Honourable Sudanese’, and which took place outside Newcastle’s City Hall from 11.30am-2pm on 30 November.
As a respected member of the Sudanese community, Mr Elnour was invited to address the crowd. He condemned the RSF and its supporters, including the UAE, and highlighted the fact that the RSF is in reality the rebranded Janjaweed militia, which was responsible for the 2003-05 Darfur genocide with the support of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), with whom the group is now in conflict.
Mr Elnour’s criticism of the SAF prompted members of the crowd to chant the pro-SAF slogan ‘one nation one army’, while others surrounded him on stage and the event organisers turned his microphone off. As Mr Elnour continued to address the crowd, a group of five men surrounded him. Several threw him to the ground, upon which he was punched and kicked by at least five people, including one woman who slapped him and called him ‘a dirty Janjaweed’.
After some in the crowd intervened to stop the assault, Mr Elnour returned to the stage and addressed the crowd once again, saying: ‘I know most of you in good faith think of eradicating the RSF first, but don't think opportunistically, like the opportunist politicians who agreed a power sharing deal with Burhan and Hemedti, who killed civilians at the sit in site in front of the army headquarters in 2019.’
Shortly after he spoke Mr Elnour exited the stage and joined his family, who had witnessed the attack. Police were called to the site and asked Mr Elnour and his family to leave. They also identified and escorted his attackers away from the demonstration.
Mr Elnour was left with several injuries, namely a deep cut to his left thumb, a hairline fracture to his right scaphoid, aggravated pain to pre-existing slipped discs in his back, whiplash, and temporary blurred vision in one eye from receiving several heavy blows to his head.
On 30 November the co organisers of the event, the Darfur Diaspora Association, issued a statement condemning the attack on Mr Elnour.
CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘CSW condemns this attack on our colleague and friend Mohaned Elnour in the strongest terms, and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. We urge the Northumbria Police to conduct a detailed investigation into this assault, ensuring that those responsible face appropriate consequences. We applaud Mr Elnour’s courage and conviction in speaking out about the atrocities taking place in Sudan without fear or favour, and rising to address the crowd once again, moments after being attacked.’
The attack on Mr Elnour in the context of a public event is not the first time that Sudanese activists have been assaulted in the UK. In October 2024 a large group of SAF supporters gathered at Chatham House, where Sudan’s former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was speaking. As those who attended the event were leaving, the crowd hurled abuse at them, and a woman was seriously assaulted. Given this context, this latest attack could indicate that transnational repression is being perpetrated by groups in the UK with close links with parties in Sudan.
Sudanese women activists have been targeted heavily online, with several reporting their photos being taken at events and circulated on social media sites along with threats against them. This includes those who simply participate in demonstrations and chant over microphones, as well as those who have taken part in panels on policy on Sudan. The threats, which often include sexual violence, are directed at activists and their family members in the UK and Sudan, with many fearing their personal information, including their addresses, may be shared online, leading to legitimate fears of physical violence. All together these coordinated attacks, while waged online, have resulted in the silencing of activists and human rights defenders.
Mr Bower continued: ‘We also urge the authorities in the UK to take seriously and investigate incidents where human rights defenders and activists are threatened or attacked for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. Additionally, these investigations should be operationalised across government departments, as recommended by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights investigation into “Transnational Repression in the UK.”’