For nearly four years, ordinary people in Sudan have been engaged in a remarkable struggle to overthrow military dictatorship and extend democracy. They have built popular revolutionary organisations in neighbourhoods and workplaces and started reorganising independent trade unions and workers’ committees to win social justice in the midst of huge attacks on their living standards. As we in Britain also face attempts by the Tory government and big business to make workers pay for the spiralling economic and social crisis there is a lot that trade unionists here can learn from these struggles. At the same time, activists in Sudan need our support and solidarity in the face of our government’s collusion with the military regime. 

The conference is jointly organised with Sudanese trade unions and campaigning bodies, and supported nationally by NEU, UCU and a range of local branches and trades councils in England and Scotland. 

If your union branch would like sponsor the event please get in touch with action@menasolidaritynetwork.net 

Solidarity with the Sudanese Revolution: one year after the coup
Freedom, Peace, Justice
Date: Sunday 6 November 2-5pm London time / 4-7pm Khartoum time
In-person event: Resource for London, Holloway Road, London N7
Online event: on Zoom 

Book a ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/solidarity-with-the-sudanese-revolution-one-year-after-the-coup-tickets-419270087117 

Speakers include:

• Sami al-Baqir, Sudanese Teachers’ Committee;
• Justine Mercer, National President-elect, UCU (Britain)
• Louise Regan National Executive Committee, National Education Union (Britain)
• Osama Omar, Revolutionary Charter for the Establishment of People’s Power (Sudan);
• Ahlam Nasir, No to Women’s Oppression (Sudan);
• Amani Gafaar, Reparations for Peace and Development (Sudan);
• Kisha AbdulSalam, Martyr’s family;
• Yousif Mlouk, TAM – Alliance of Demand-Based Campaigns (Sudan);
• Osman Tahir, President Alternative Port Workers’ Union, Port Sudan
• Musa’b Elrifaii, Kenana sugar factory trade unionist
• Tahir Almu’tasim Sudanese Journalists’ Union
• Nazim Siraj, Hadreen (Sudan) on their work documenting police repression

This conference will bring together trade unionists and activists from Sudan and Britain to learn from each other and build solidarity for each others’ struggles for social justice and against political repression and attacks on workers’ rights.

It will take place a year after the military seized power in Sudan on October 25 2021 and will reflect on the development of the massive popular movement there which has continued to mobilise millions behind demands for civilian rule through protests, strikes and civil disobedience. It also comes after months of strikes in both Britain and Sudan demanding better pay and working conditions in the face of a massive cost-of-living crisis. 

The popular movement in Sudan has been led by grassroots revolutionary organisations – neighbourhood resistance committees, independent trade unions and professional associations. Several resistance committees have now issued political declarations calling for far-reaching democratic reforms and opposing any compromise with the military dictatorship. They are demanding an end to the organised robbery and extortion by the army and militia generals who dominate the Sudanese state and much of the economy.

Having emerged from 30 years of dictatorship and war through a popular uprising against Omar al-Bashir which began in December 2018, this mass movement of ordinary people is still fighting to turn their hopes of ‘freedom, peace and justice’ into reality, despite terrible repression.

The Sudanese revolution urgently needs solidarity from around the world to amplify the demands for real change, genuine democracy, economic justice and an end to military rule being raised in the streets and workplaces.

This conference aims to:

• Build solidarity for the Sudanese revolution and resistance to military rule
• Create networks between trade unionists and activists from Sudan, Britain and beyond and share experiences of  democratic union organisation out of workers’ strikes and struggles. 
• Pressurise the British government to end military and diplomatic support for the coup leaders and the regional powers (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel) backing them
• Publicise the leading role of the Resistance Committees and other popular and demand-based campaigns in the Sudanese revolution
• Affirm our solidarity with Sudanese refugees as part of wider campaigns to welcome all those fleeing war, repression and climate change

Book a ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/solidarity-with-the-sudanese-revolution-one-year-after-the-coup-tickets-419270087117 

Sponsoring organisations include: MENA Solidarity, National Education Union (Britain), University and College Union  (Britain) Sudanese Teachers’ Committee (Sudan), Edinburgh TUC (Scotland), TAM – The Alliance of Demand-based Campaigns (Sudan), Doctors in Unite (Britain), Portsmouth Unison (Britain), Portsmouth TUC (Britain), Unite the Union, Barts Health Branch LE384L (Britain)

Download a leaflet / poster here