Charity slams 'shameful' UK after government says 'no plans' for new Sudan visa schemes

A refugee charity has slammed the UK for "shamefully turning its back" after the government said it was not planning to create new visa schemes amid devastating fighting in Sudan.

The British government stated its position on Thursday in response to a petition on the parliamentary website that has so far attracted over 26,500 signatures.

"There are no plans to introduce any new visa schemes for Sudanese people affected by the current conflict in Sudan," the government said.

It came amid clashes that erupted on 15 April between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that have killed hundreds and seen about 200,000 people pushed to escape the African nation.

"As people in Sudan desperately flee towards safety, the UK is shamefully turning its back on those in need of refuge," said Emma Stevenson, deputy CEO at the refugee charity Choose Love.

"Sudanese refugees are being denied their fundamental right to asylum in the UK, and the UK government is attempting to shirk its responsibilities to the global principles which uphold all of our rights to claim asylum and live in safety."

Stevenson took aim at the government's controversial Illegal Migration Bill, which is currently making its way through the House of Lords, the upper house of the UK parliament.

Referring to the proposed legislation as the "Refugee Ban Bill", she called it "inhumane" and said it belonged to "a different age", adding: "The Sudan crisis is exposing this for the world to see."

A British government spokesperson on Saturday told The New Arab that there were "no plans to open a bespoke settlement route for Sudan", adding that "preventing a humanitarian emergency in Sudan is our focus right now".

The response on Thursday to the petition on the parliamentary website was issued by the Home Office, the UK's interior ministry.

The ministry, which is led by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, said the government is "monitoring the situation in Sudan closely to ensure that it is able to respond appropriately".

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK's refugee and migrant rights director, told The New Arab that Braverman's "refusal" to introduce an asylum system for Sudanese nationals was "shocking".

He said it adds to the UK's "fast-growing reputation for small-minded selfishness" on refugee issues.

"The racism is now striking. Not least because unlike the scheme established for British citizens and residents to provide… safety for their Ukrainian family – no British citizen or resident is to be permitted to do the same for their loved ones from Sudan," Valdez-Symonds said.

"But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The government's latest immigration bill will shut down the asylum system so that any refugee who crosses the Channel or comes by any other means will find the UK's door simply slammed in their face."

The petition on the parliamentary website is titled "Create a Sudanese Family Scheme visa for Sudanese people affected by war".

It mentions the Homes for Ukraine scheme, under which British citizens can volunteer to host those fleeing the Russian invasion.

The programme, which accepts Ukrainians and their family members, has seen more than 122,000 people come to the UK so far.

"We want the government to create [a] Homes for Sudanese scheme to allow Sudanese who are affected by the war being joined with their families in the UK," the petition said.

"The government should aim to treat all people equally, a war is a war, and people affected by war should be treated and helped equally."

The Home Office's reply said the situations in Sudan and Ukraine are different, with every crisis needing a custom response.

It said: "At present there are no plans to create a new visa scheme for family members of British citizens and settled migrants affected by the unrest [in Sudan].

"We recognise that some people displaced by the fighting may wish to join family in the UK, and where those family members do not have a current UK visa, they can apply for one via one of our standard visa routes, which remain available."

Visa applicants are required to apply online and provide biometrics at an application centre before travelling to the UK.

While the centre in the Sudanese capital Khartoum is currently shut, there are others in neighbouring states.

The UK government said it responded "immediately" to the situation in Sudan by organising evacuation flights open to British citizens and their close family members with pre-existing approval to enter or remain in the UK.

Britain evacuated 2,450 people, including Sudanese staff in the UK's National Health Service, the government added.

"The UK carried out by far the longest and largest evacuation of any Western country from Sudan," it said.

In response to a request for comment from The New Arab, a government spokesperson said: "We have no plans to open a bespoke resettlement route for Sudan.

"Preventing a humanitarian emergency in Sudan is our focus right now and we are working with international partners and the United Nations to bring an end to fighting.

"Since 2015 we have offered a safe and legal route to the UK to almost half a million people seeking safety but our approach must be considered in the round, rather than on a crisis-by-crisis basis."

The government is required to respond to all petitions on the parliamentary website that gain over 10,000 signatures.

If the Sudan petition surpasses 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in parliament.