Sudanese voices abroad and rights monitors are pushing back on Lana Nusseibeh's UN secretary general run over the war in Sudan.
Sudanese communities abroad are taking their fight to the world stage. Diaspora members and international human rights monitors are publicly opposing the candidacy of Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh for the United Nations' top job, saying the war devastating their homeland must weigh on the choice.
Their objection centres on her rejection of accusations that the United Arab Emirates is fuelling Sudan's conflict by backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Critics argue that a candidate who dismisses those claims cannot credibly lead an organisation meant to protect civilians and broker peace. The UAE has denied the allegations.
The UAE put Nusseibeh forward last week to succeed António Guterres, who finishes his second five-year term later this year. Her nomination landed in a race that had stalled, and it has shaken up the field just as the contest looked deadlocked.
For Sudanese activists abroad, this is about more than one résumé. Many have spent months pushing for attention to a war that has uprooted families and scattered communities across the continent and beyond. Now they are using the succession fight to keep Sudan at the centre of the conversation about who should run the UN.
The campaign shows how African diaspora networks are increasingly shaping global debates, from Khartoum to the corridors of the UN. How member states respond could test how much the voices of those living the crisis count in choosing the world's top diplomat.
