“No to War”: When Slogans Become a Cover for Defeat and Collapse

By Rashid Shawish

Since the outbreak of this war in Sudan, there hasn’t been a single moment without pain. We’ve constantly heard the cries of the souls, the moans of mothers, and witnessed displacement, destruction, and a complete collapse of life.

But amidst this flood of suffering, a strange voice has emerged… A voice that grows louder when the militia retreats, and fades when it advances. The slogan “No to war” is no longer as innocent as it appears. Often, it has become a slogan wrapped in fear—and at times, veiled betrayal.

Let us face the truth without evasion:
We did not start this war.
We did not choose its timing, its fronts, or its weapons.
What happened was a treacherous attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), backed by regional powers, catching Sudanese people off guard on a Ramadan morning, with blood and destruction.

They entered homes, looted shops, destroyed institutions, raped women, killed children, and violated both honor and land.
This attack did not come out of nowhere—it was the result of long-term planning to turn Sudan into a weak, dependent state, governed by proxy through a mercenary militia loyal only to money, weapons, and the foreign sponsors of its destructive agenda.

So, when we speak today of “stopping the war,” do we truly mean peace?
Or do we mean ceasing resistance to this project and allowing it to grow and succeed?
Is there any logic that would drive a people subjected to such an internal invasion to raise the white flag?
Is there even one example in history where a people handed their country over to militias and then gained peace and dignity afterward?

War is not our choice, but it became our destiny when they chose to humiliate us.
This is a battle of existence—not borders.
Either we win for our homeland, or we lose it forever.

Today, when we hear someone say “No to war,” we must ask:
What is the alternative? Should we surrender? Should we hand over Khartoum? Abandon Port Sudan?
Should we accept the partitioning of our nation, and remain silent in the face of drones striking our cities?

Those calling for an end to the war without demanding the disarmament of the militia or holding its leaders accountable for their timeless crimes are, in fact, offering us two options:
Either humiliation and surrender—or separation and fragmentation.
Neither can convince a people who have endured such a bitter experience.

Even more dangerous is what has begun to unfold in recent months:
Voices emerging in defense of the militia’s coup project, justifying its actions, and even promoting the narrative of a “New Sudan” built from the territories they control—as if they weren’t defeated in Khartoum, as if their supply lines weren’t cut, as if thousands hadn’t rejected them in towns and villages, and as if blood had not been spilled in scenes resembling massacres.

The battle today is not only military—it is also intellectual and moral.
We either stand with the clear truth: a united, free, and independent Sudan led by legitimate institutions—chief among them, the national army.
Or we stand with false neutrality and cowardice, which serves only to empower evil and recycle crime.

Anyone asking “How do we stop the war?” must first ask:
“How do we restore the rights of mothers? How do we reclaim the stolen land? How do we block the poisoned foreign support trying to turn Sudan into a proxy state?”

The answer is not in surrender.
The answer is in supporting our army—despite its flaws—because in the end, it is the only institution standing as a bulwark against Sudan’s collapse into the hands of merciless forces.

We do not glorify war, nor do we seek it.
We have wished for it to end since the first shot was fired.
But we also know—from global history and experience—that peace is not granted. It is seized after the spine of injustice is broken.

Today, there is no room for neutrality.
You either stand with Sudan, or with the project to tear it apart.
You either defend it, or stay silent and wait for it to be run from Abu Dhabi.

Let us be honest with ourselves:
The Sudanese people are all against war.
But they will never be against defending their homeland.

The voice that must rise today is not just “No to war,” but:
“Yes to defense, yes to dignity, yes to a homeland that is not for sale.”