Actors Brian Cox, Cumming, Bill Nighy and Will Poulter signed the letter to Sir David Cameron, along with singers Lennox, Paloma Faith and Peter Gabriel.
Film producer Barbara Broccoli, author Candice Carty-Williams, and historian and broadcaster David Olusoga also signed the letter.
Circle, the “global feminist” NGO (non-governmental organization) founded by former Eurythmics singer Lennox, gathered celebrity signatories on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the war in Sudan.
It began when clashes broke out in the capital, Khartoum, between the country's military, led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, and rival factions, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
At least 8.2 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan since fighting broke out on April 15, 2023, the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported.
However, a letter signed by prominent creators says: Do whatever you want. ”
“We cannot sit back and watch this tragedy unfold on our sisters and innocent families around the world. One year from now is one year too long,” Lennox said.
“Sudanese women and children need action now.”
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The letter, which was also signed by grassroots organizations around the world, says: “Sudanese women and girls must not be forgotten. The time to act is now.
“The Sudanese people are facing a catastrophe. Sudanese civilians, especially women and children, have been paying the price since deadly fighting broke out between the two generals last April.
“Twenty years after ethnic cleansing in Darfur, credible evidence of genocide by Rapid Support Forces has once again been found. And as the RSF appears to be winning more battles, genocidal violence There is a growing risk that this will expand.
“Women continue to bear the brunt of this conflict. Sexual and gender-based violence is widespread and perpetrated by all parties to the conflict.
“We are calling on the UK government and other major powers to put meaningful pressure on the warring parties and their supporters to end the war.
“Violations of the arms embargo should have immediate consequences and sanctions against key figures on both sides.”
read more: Scottish stars call on UK government to halt arms exports to Israel
According to a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from April to mid-December 2023, at least 118 people in Sudan suffered sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, and attempted rape.
It added that the number also included 19 children.
A study published in February found that “the majority” of rapes were committed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the streets or in homes, and one woman died after being repeatedly gang raped over a 35-day period.
The report found that only a small number of victims of sexual violence were “willing to report” their assaults to authorities “for reasons including prejudice, distrust of the justice system, breakdown in the justice system, and fear of retaliation.” There were four of them, he added.
The circle funds Root of Generations, a South Sudan-based NGO founded by a woman who was displaced by war in the region as a child.
Its founder, Grace Delon, said: “[I]went to a refugee camp in Kenya by myself when I was between five and seven years old. I know the impact of losing your home and being exposed to fear.”
“Women and children are particularly at risk during times of conflict. The despair and violence that women, including their children, face is beyond imagination.”
Her organization aims to support vulnerable households and end violence against women and girls, and is currently assisting people fleeing crisis in a displacement camp in South Sudan's capital, Juba.
She said her organization “doesn't have to do something like this” and that “decision-makers and leaders should look at women and children in the mirror when they look at themselves.”
