Two Sudanese 'militiamen' invited to Labour conference event

Two alleged members of a Sudanese paramilitary group accused of the murder of thousands of people were invited to appear at a fringe event at the Labour Party's annual conference. The event was organised by the Centre for Turkiye Studies (CEFTUS), run by Labour Party councillor Ibrahim Dogus.

It is alleged that the two men were linked to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group established in 2013 by the government to fight Sudanese rebels that has more recently been engaged in conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The group has been accused of genocide, engaging in the mass torture, rape, looting, and killing of non-Arab peoples in the areas it controls. CEFTUS cancelled the event after being informed of the men's alleged links by media outlet POLITICO.

The Labour Party is not responsible for booking guests to appear at fringe events but it is responsible for accreditation and a Labour Party spokesperson said the event is no longer going ahead.

A spokesperson for CEFTUS said: "We deplore the human rights abuses and violence that the Rapid Support Forces have been accused of, and our focus has consistently been on promoting dialogue, understanding, and peaceful solutions, rather than advancing any particular political agenda."

They added: "CEFTUS was not aware of any links between these individuals and the RSF, and at this stage no independent evidence has been presented connecting them."

The spokesperson said CEFTUS had removed the speakers from event invitations while they requested further information.

The event was due to see a panel discussion take place titled "Sudan at a crossroads: Supporting peace, democracy and civilian voices" and was to be held in a venue hired by SME4Labour, also run by Dogus.

Labour MP Laura Kyrke-Smith was listed as chairing the event, however it is not believed that she had any knowledge of the men's invitation nor their links to the RSF.

The two men were also set to appear at an event held at the European Parliament on Wednesday, also organised by CEFTUS, but that too was cancelled after their alleged links came to light.

Gamaal El Attar, executive director of the International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD), a Belgium-based human rights group, described it as "deeply troubling" that the event had been due to host the alleged paramilitary members.

He said: "The RSF is directly implicated in genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and widespread gender-based violence. Offering these individuals a platform risks whitewashing atrocities and undermines the Labour Party's moral credibility."