“We don’t give up”: Christian Rights Group Vows Continued Advocacy Over Sudan War, Eritrea Abuses

By Silas Isenjia

Khartoum, 25 May, 2026 / 5:13 pm (ACI Africa).

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has pledged to continue advocating for victims of human rights violations in Sudan and Eritrea despite failed attempts to engage both the Eritrean Embassy in London and the English Premier League (EPL).

In a report shared with ACI Africa on May 22, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the UK-based human rights organization said their latest efforts included an annual protest vigil outside the Eritrean Embassy in London and a campaign urging the EPL to address allegations concerning the role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Sudan’s ongoing conflict.

“One thing we have learned from all our years of protesting is that we don’t give up. Just because the Eritrean Embassy hasn’t opened its doors for the last 20 years doesn’t mean we’re not coming back next year, and just because the Premier League haven’t opened their doors the last two times, we’ve been there doesn’t mean we won’t be coming back,” Scot Bower said.

Mr. Bower added, “We’ll be back again when the next season starts. We’ll have more names on the petition; we’ll have more people outside, we’ll chant even louder, and we’ll keep doing it until the doors are opened.”

According to the report, representatives of CSW, together with Church in Chains (Ireland), Human Rights Concern-Eritrea and Release Eritrea, gathered on May 21 outside the Eritrean Embassy in London for their annual peaceful vigil marking 23 years since Eritrea effectively outlawed religious groups not affiliated with the Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and Orthodox churches or Sunni Islam.

The organizations also attempted to deliver a letter to the Eritrean Head of Mission to the United Kingdom and Ireland raising concerns about severe human rights violations in the country. CSW said the embassy refused to open its doors.

“Neither the Premier League nor the Eritrean Embassy would open their doors to us. One is not a surprise. Nobody expects the Eritrean Embassy to open their door or engage in dialogue, but we are surprised at the Premier League once again refusing to accept a petition,” Mr. Bower said.

He added that the refusal was “regrettable and disappointing,” and “devastating for those who have experienced the horrors of war, severe human rights violations, and the death of family members and friends.”

The report also details CSW’s campaign concerning Sudan’s conflict, including a January 14, 2026 public action outside Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium calling on the EPL to address allegations regarding the UAE’s support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

CSW said the Premier League refused for a second time to accept a petition signed by more than 2,600 people urging league officials to raise concerns with Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan over the UAE’s alleged role in the Sudan conflict.

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According to the report, CSW attempted to deliver the petition again at the Premier League headquarters in London on May 21 after an earlier refusal on April 28, when the petition had gathered 2,500 signatures. During the second attempt, security personnel reportedly informed CSW staff that they had been instructed not to receive anything from the organization.

Launched in January, the petition asks the Premier League, its board and member clubs to raise with Sheikh Mansour concerns over alleged UAE support for the RSF, which CSW says has contributed to prolonging a conflict that has killed more than 150,000 people, displaced 13 million and left 30 million in need of humanitarian assistance.

CSW maintains that there is credible evidence that the UAE continues to provide military and financial support to the RSF, including sophisticated weaponry and support for personnel fighting alongside the militia.

Sheikh Mansour – who is also vice-president and deputy prime minister of the UAE – has been described as the RSF leader’s closest ally in the Emirates, and US intelligence officers claim to have intercepted regular phone calls between the two men.

In February 2026, the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan said the RSF’s actions following its October 2025 capture of El Fasher in Darfur bore the “hallmarks of genocide.”

In March 2026, the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that the U.S. State Department designate the RSF as an Entity of Particular Concern, citing the “harmful effects to religious freedom and Sudan’s diverse religious and ethnic communities” caused by the group’s campaign of mass atrocities and human rights violations.

Speaking during the attempted petition hand-in, Darfur Diaspora Association leader Abdallah Idriss Abugarda said, “We are here not because we oppose football, not because we oppose the fans of Manchester City; we are here because football is powerful, and with great power comes moral responsibility, moral obligation.”

“The Premier League is not just a business; it is one of the most influential sporting institutions in the world. It speaks proudly about equality, human dignity, anti-racism and social responsibility. Those values that we all share must mean something, not only on the pitch but also beyond it,” he said.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.