Darfur Associations Coalition in the United Kingdom Rejects Rhetoric That Fuels Division Among Sudanese Tribes
London — Sunday, August 9, 2026
The Darfur Associations Coalition in the United Kingdom has followed with great concern the recent statements made by Mr. Musa Hilal regarding what he described as the migration of certain African tribes into Sudan, as well as the controversy and heated exchanges those statements have generated on social media.
The Coalition expresses its dissatisfaction with and condemnation of this type of rhetoric when it is used to single out particular communities and cast doubt on their belonging to Sudan.
Sudan, by virtue of its geographical location and long history, is a country of diverse ethnicities, cultures, languages, and tribes. Sudanese communities and tribes have been interconnected and intertwined for centuries. There are also tribes whose historical roots and presence extend across Sudan’s present-day borders with neighboring countries to the east, west, north, and south. These political borders are relatively recent and cannot be used to erase the shared history of peoples and communities whose existence predates the establishment of those borders.
The Coalition emphasizes that the tribes mentioned by Musa Hilal, such as the Masalit, Bargo, Tama, and Borno, are not recent arrivals. Rather, they possess a deep-rooted history and longstanding social, cultural, and political ties extending far into the history of Sudan and the broader region. Some of these communities were also associated with kingdoms and sultanates that existed long before the establishment of modern colonial borders.
The Coalition further emphasizes that kingdoms and sultanates existed as independent political entities before colonial borders were drawn. These entities contributed to protecting their territories and resisting colonial expansion and foreign intervention. It is therefore wrong to reduce this complex history to narrow tribal narratives or to divide Sudanese people into categories of “indigenous” and “newcomers” based on tribal affiliation.
The region historically witnessed kingdoms, sultanates, and independent communities whose territories and influence extended across what later became borders between different states. Therefore, attempting to impose the concept of today’s political borders upon the history of those communities, and then describing entire populations as “newcomers,” represents an oversimplification and distortion of history and does not contribute to understanding the roots of Sudan’s diversity.
We, at the Darfur Associations Coalition in the United Kingdom, believe that Sudan’s current crisis is not a crisis of one tribe against another, nor Arabs against Africans, nor one region against another. Rather, it is a profound political, security, and humanitarian crisis whose root causes must be addressed through dialogue, justice, equal citizenship, and the rule of law.
From this standpoint, we believe that invoking tribal and ethnic identities in a manner that casts doubt on the Sudanese identity of entire communities, or portrays them as outsiders, risks deepening social divisions and fueling hate speech at a time when Sudan desperately needs rhetoric that unites rather than divides.
The Coalition warns that such irresponsible statements are not merely passing opinions. They can have extremely serious consequences for social peace, particularly given the painful history that the Darfur region has endured since 2003, when rhetoric based on incitement and tribal and ethnic polarization contributed to fueling bloody conflicts among communities, ultimately resulting in widespread crimes, acts of genocide, and forced displacement targeting civilians.
Regrettably, during that period, Mr. Musa Hilal was a leader of the Janjaweed, and his name became associated with the genocide in Darfur. His current rhetoric, presented in this manner, brings back painful memories of the past for African communities.
We therefore warn against reproducing the same rhetoric that contributed to deepening divisions and igniting conflict. We call upon everyone to learn from the lessons of the past rather than reopen wounds that have yet to heal.
We also call upon all political, community, and traditional leaders—including those who exercise significant influence within their communities—to demonstrate the highest degree of responsibility in choosing their words, to refrain from generalizations and collective accusations, and to avoid turning political disagreements into conflicts of a tribal or ethnic nature.
Coalition Media Office
Darfur Associations Coalition in the United Kingdom
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