Yet Another Slap on the Face for RSF Militia Elements in UK

London – Sudanhorizon
For the second time in less than 24 hours, the Janjaweed militia and its political front, “Tasis,” have been subjected to a new political and media scandal in Europe.
Only yesterday, the British Labour Party banned both Walid Madibo and Ahmed Tuqut Lisan from attending its general conference in Liverpool, which begins tomorrow, though they have both completed attendance procedures and paid the registration fee.
The party also canceled a sideline seminar, which was scheduled to be held next Sunday and which Madibo and Tuqut would address. The seminar was organized by the Centre for Turkish Studies in London, which had attempted to arrange a meeting for militia representatives in the European Parliament only two days earlier.
The meeting was canceled following pressure from the Sudanese community in the United Kingdom and members of parliament. The MP who was to host the meeting apologized to the Sudanese people.
The Center for Turkish Studies is run by Ibrahim Daks, a Turkish Kurd who opposes the Turkish government and is a Labour Party member of a London local council. He is known for owning Turkish food restaurants and holding kebab competitions in London. The center previously organized a similar symposium for representatives of the Janjaweed in the British Parliament in February, which sparked outrage in parliamentary circles, the media, and human rights groups. These groups intervened to have the Brussels and Liverpool events canceled this week.
The announcement of a symposium featuring Walid Madbou and Ahmed Tuqut on the sidelines of the Labour Party conference sparked outrage among human rights activists and some political and media circles, leading to the cancellation of the event and the revocation of their accreditation to the conference.
Attendance at the annual conferences of British political parties is open to the public after paying participation fees ranging from 600 to 1,000 British pounds ($800-$1,340) per person, but any participation must be endorsed by the organizers.
The international newspaper Politico headlined its story yesterday about what happened: Sudanese Militia Members Receive Invitation to Labour Party Conference. The newspaper reported that the two militia members’ accreditation had been revoked and the seminar they were scheduled to attend had been canceled. This followed contacting conference officials and clarifying the aforementioned individuals’ connection to the militia and the crimes it is committing.
The newspaper also quoted the center’s spokesperson as confirming that the seminar was canceled following fierce criticism from the media and human rights organizations. British MP Laura Kirk-Smith, who had been announced as chairing the seminar, also denied any knowledge of the event. “It is deeply worrying that the Labor Party conference could host elements linked to the Rapid Support Forces,” Jamal Al-Attar, executive director of the Belgium-based International Federation for Rights and Development, told the newspaper. He added that the militia is implicated in genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and sexual violence. He added, “Providing a platform for these individuals risks whitewashing the militia’s atrocities and undermines the moral credibility of the Labor Party.” It is believed that the militia has resorted to the services of the center in question in exchange for money, despite it being a little-known entity and Sudan not falling within its purview, as well-known centers distance themselves from the Janjaweed.

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