Pickthall House is disappointed by Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s decision to exclude Sudan’s recognised government from the London Sudan Conference 2025, while hosting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who are accused of backing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This move risks legitimising a brutal militia and seriously undermines the UK’s credibility as a peacebuilder.
On the 15th of April, Senior officials met in London for an international conference to chart what Foreign Secretary David Lammy has described as "a pathway to peace" in Sudan. As part of the event, the UK government pledged £120 million in humanitarian aid to support those affected by the civil war. While presented as a timely and compassionate intervention, the political choreography behind the conference reveals a troubling incoherence in Britain’s foreign policy.
Sudan’s foreign minister, Ali Youssef al-Sharif, has warned that the RSF (a paramilitary group accused of ethnic cleansing, systematic sexual violence, and the destruction of entire towns) deliberately timed their latest offensive to coincide with the conference. Their aim, he said, is “to declare a parallel government” from newly captured territory, leveraging the legitimacy afforded by international attention.
Despite this, the UK government excluded Sudan’s internationally recognised government from the talks altogether. Al-Sharif condemned the move, noting that London instead extended invitations to states accused of backing the RSF, including the UAE. Only days earlier, Sudan formally accused the UAE of complicity in genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In this context, sidelining Khartoum while hosting the RSF’s key patrons is not a diplomatic oversight; it is a tacit endorsement of a militia responsible for some of the conflict’s worst atrocities.
David Lammy, a leading figure at the summit, must take responsibility for this decision. Whether through negligence or intent, the exclusion of Sudanese government representatives fundamentally undermines the UK’s credibility as a peacebuilder. The UAE’s support for the RSF is well documented, yet Britain appears unwilling to confront it. Instead, we seem to be bending to the geopolitical agenda of a state that benefits from prolonging Sudan’s instability.
Pickthall House believes the UK must pursue an informed, independent, and principled foreign policy prioritising sustainable reconciliation and human rights. This means engaging all legitimate actors, rather than legitimising armed groups or their allies, or ignoring their victims.
Committing aid without political integrity is not enough. If the UK is truly committed to helping Sudanese civilians, it must stop legitimising those who brutalise them. Outsourcing our policy to external powers with vested interests damages Britain’s standing and betrays the very people we claim to support.
