London youth protest ‘media neglect’ of Sudan conflict

The youth group London for Sudan organised a march, in the British capital on Saturday, to protest the lack of media attention on the ongoing war in Sudan. Participants voiced concerns that British media are neglecting the conflict and its impact.

Ziad, a member of London for Sudan, told Dabanga that the group wants to “draw attention to what is happening in Sudan, because the British media does not sufficiently cover the conflict”.

The march began at the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Broadcasting House. “We started our march from there to draw their attention”, Ziad said.

Abdelrahim, a participant of the march, said that he came to show his solidarity with London for Sudan and to “press for the British media to give greater attention to what is happening in Sudan”.

From the BBC Broadcasting House, Ziad and his fellow demonstrators, many of whom were non-Sudanese, carried Sudanese flags and chanted “freedom for Sudan” as they marched to 10 Downing Street, the residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK).

‘Not just in the UK’

Mona Adam, the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Kensington and Bayswater constituency, and a British politician of Sudanese origin, criticised the insufficient media coverage of the Sudan conflict in an interview with Dabanga. “This issue is not just in the UK but worldwide.”

Adam pointed out the communication gap between the Sudanese community in Britain and the British media as a contributing factor to the neglect. “I believe that the Sudanese community in Britain does not know how to send its messages to the British media, which contributed to its neglect of what is going on in Sudan.”

The parliamentary candidate emphasised the critical role of media coverage in raising awareness and assisting Sudanese-British people affected by the war, and called for unity among Sudanese communities in the UK, and persistence in bringing awareness to the war in Sudan.

‘Overshadowed’

Hussein Omar, a Sudanese media expert with extensive experience in British media, disagreed with the claims of neglect. He rather attributed the reduced coverage to other global events overshadowing the Sudan conflict.

“The ongoing war in Ukraine and the recent conflict in Gaza are strategic issues for the West,” Omar explained. He also cited domestic issues, such as Britain’s economic crisis and political changes, which have diverted media attention inwards.

Omar advised against emotional representations of the lack of media attention on the war in Sudan, adding that “the West, in general, starts from its interests, and British media ultimately follows British politics and public interest, aiming to serve the British people”.