2025 in Review: Voices of Resistance Across MENA and Beyond

As 2025 comes to a close and we step into 2026, we at MENA Solidarity Network reach out in solidarity, gratitude, and revolutionary determination. Explore our roundup of the key articles published since 1 January 2025 — a year of struggle, resistance, and international working-class solidarity across the Middle East and beyond. From war zones and imperialist supply chains to workers uniting across borders, these reports and analyses map the terrain of resistance.
Read, share, reflect, and organise — let 2026 be a year of stronger solidarity, renewed struggle, and internationalist victory.

Cartoons Are Not a Crime – Free Ashraf Omar, Stop Egypt’s Repression

When a cartoon becomes a crime, authoritarianism reveals its fear of truth.
Ashraf Omar — cartoonist, translator, and political artist — has been imprisoned for his drawings, accused of terrorism for exposing social and political realities. His case is not an exception, but part of Egypt’s systematic assault on freedom of expression, independent journalism, and dissent. We demand his immediate release. The pen is not a crime.

El-Fasher Falls — What It Tells Us About Sudan’s War, The Revolution, And The Fight For Solidarity

The fall of El Fasher, the last SAF stronghold in Darfur, marks a brutal new phase in Sudan’s counter-revolutionary war. After 18 months under siege, the RSF seized the city in October 2025, unleashing mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and terror. This is not an isolated tragedy but the outcome of a war between two militias born of the same repressive regime the 2018 revolution sought to overthrow — a war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced over 15 million people.

Seminar & Pamphlet Launch: Sudan’s Revolutionary Movements Research (7 Nov)

JOIN US on 7 November for the launch of “Sudan’s Revolutionary and Popular Movements: A Research Report”, a pamphlet by MENA Solidarity offering an in-depth analysis of Sudan’s revolutionary movements, the forces of counter-revolution, and the enduring strength of grassroots resistance.
The seminar will explore the pivotal role of strikes, women’s organising, and neighbourhood networks in the struggle for freedom, peace, and justice. It will also examine the impact of imperialism and the vital importance of international solidarity in connecting Sudan’s revolution to broader global struggles against oppression and exploitation.

Join Us for the MENA Solidarity AGM 2025: Building Workers’ Solidarity Across Borders

Join our AGM – Monday 13 October, 7:30 PM UK time (Zoom)

From Italy to Khartoum to Gaza, workers and ordinary people are standing up against war, violence, and economic hardship. At our Annual General Meeting, we’ll hear from a special guest from S.I. Cobas Union, whose members have led general strikes and protests across Italy. Together, we’ll explore solidarity, share experiences, and plan strategies to advance workers’ rights and justice across borders.

Confronting Arab Regimes’ Complicity in Genocide, War Crimes, and Starvation in Gaza

Three weeks ago, coordinated protests in London and Washington, D.C. targeted the Israeli, Egyptian, and Jordanian embassies, challenging Arab regimes complicit in Gaza’s genocide, war crimes, and enforced starvation. MENA Solidarity spoke to Ibrahim, a young UK-based Palestinian who organised and joined the London actions on July 23–24, while activists in Washington rallied in parallel.

MENA Solidarity at Tolpuddle: Supporting Greek Dockers Blocking Israeli Arms

At the 2025 Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, MENA Solidarity supported Greek dockworkers’ actions against military shipments to Israel, aligning with international worker-led resistance. Dockworkers across countries, including Greece, France, Italy, and Morocco, and others, actively disrupted arms transfers, emphasising their crucial role in opposing war and genocide, while exposing Western governments’ complicity.

مؤتمر التضامن مع السودان – ٢٠٢٣

متحدون من أجل الحرية و السلام و العدالة للجميع

استضاف مقر نقابة المعلمين البريطانية في هاملتون هاوس في لندن يوم السبت ٣٠ سبتمبر ٢٠٢٣ مؤتمر التضامن مع السودان – ٢٠٢٣ الذي نظمته شبكة التضامن مع الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا والنقابات والمنظمات البريطانية و السودانية في عرض للوحدة والدعم للشعب السوداني. يُعتبر مؤتمر التضامن مع السودان – ٢٠٢٣ النسخة الثالثة من مؤتمرات التضامن مع السودان و التي تنظمها شبكة التضامن مع الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا سنويا، وقد أثبت أنه الأكبر حتى الآن