A political storm has erupted in the UK after a security analyst revealed that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) deleted official warnings of a “risk of genocide” in Sudan during the early days of the April 2023 conflict — allegedly to protect London’s close ties with the United Arab Emirates.
The analyst, who helped prepare assessments for the FCDO, told The Guardian that he was instructed to remove the phrase “risk of genocide” from a report meant for senior government circulation, despite field evidence showing a pattern of systematic violence in Darfur. He described the move as “deliberate censorship” that undermined the UN Security Council’s ability to act, given the UK’s role as the “penholder” for the Sudan file.
Another analyst and a former member of the ministry’s Atrocity Prevention Team said the downplaying of genocide warnings aligned with a political pattern aimed at shielding the UAE from scrutiny, despite mounting reports that it was supplying weapons to the RSF — allegations Abu Dhabi denies.
The revelations coincide with extensive documentation by international organizations of atrocities including the El Geneina massacres — where nearly 15,000 people were killed — and the fall of El Fasher last month, followed by mass killings and secret burials.
Despite this, the whistleblower said British officials continued blocking the use of the term “genocide,” even as evidence mounted.
The UK Foreign Office denied any political interference, saying genocide declarations can only be made by a court. Critics responded that this position amounts to evading moral and political responsibility as Darfur faces one of the deadliest waves of ethnic violence in modern times.
Abdallah Abu Garda, head of the Darfur Union in the UK, said the revelations raise “gravely serious concerns,” adding that the Foreign Office “deliberately downplayed the risk at a moment when Darfur was sinking once again into mass ethnic violence.”
With tens of thousands still missing from El Fasher and growing evidence of mass graves and bodies being burned, questions are intensifying over the UK’s political and ethical responsibility — and the impact of its close relationship with the UAE on its assessment of the crisis.
