Sudan: Why is the government being accused of a 'racist' refugee policy?

The Home Office has been accused of implementing an “unashamedly racist” refugee system in the way it is treating refugees from Sudan.

Hundreds of people have been killed and nearly 450,000 civilians displaced since fighting between two factions began in the country weeks ago. Of that total, the International Organization for Migration says, more than 115,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

But the UK has not made a scheme to offer people fleeing fighting in Sudan a safe and legal route to the UK, despite there being schemes to help those escaping the war in Ukraine, with almost 300,000 visas issued to those fleeing Vladimir Putin's invasion.

Home secretary Suella Braverman claimed Sudanese asylum seekers have “various” legal ways to reach the UK, sparking a backlash by the UN’s refugee agency.

But foreign secretary James Cleverly said the government would eventually create “safe and legal routes” for Sudanese, although refused to “speculate on the numbers of [sic] nature of those routes.”

Responding to this palaver, Caitlin Boswell, policy and advocacy manager for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) said the government's policy difference was "racism". She told the Guardian: “The racism of the UK’s immigration system couldn’t be more clear, with this government drawing policies affecting people seeking safety along stark racial lines. At the same time, ministers are using unashamedly inflammatory and far-right language, whipping up hatred towards black and brown migrants.”

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Fizza Qureshi, chief executive of the Migrants’ Rights Network, added: “The blatant refusal to provide the level of sanctuary and safety for Sudanese refugees in comparison to white Ukrainians has firmly exposed the unashamedly racist thinking at the heart of immigration legislation. They have created a segregated refugee system.

“It is clear that any shred of compassion for black and brown refugees has well and truly disappeared.”

Raga Ahmad of the London-based Sudanese Community and Information Centre (SCIC), said: “We are treated differently to Ukrainians. Colour and race should not matter when there is a war. The prime minister [Rishi Sunak] needs to answer, ‘What is the difference between a Ukrainian refugee and a Sudanese refugee?’”

A government spokesperson told the publication: “It is wrong to compare and set vulnerable groups against each other. Preventing a humanitarian emergency in Sudan is our focus right now.

“Alongside the UK evacuation effort, we are working with international partners and the UN to bring an end to fighting. We have no plans to open a bespoke resettlement route for Sudan.”

They added: “Since 2015 we have offered a safe and legal route to the UK to almost half a million people seeking safety but our approach must be considered in the round, rather than on a crisis-by-crisis basis.”

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.